Camarena-Torres 1

Diego Camarena

Miss Williams-Arnold

English Language Arts II (Gr 10) Honors

24 October 2020

Fahrenheit 451 Review

Although it isn't reality, the dystopia Fahrenheit 451 takes place in isn't too far from what

reality could be. Guy Montag, the protagonist, is a fireman whose job is to start fires rather than

put them out. Literature is forbidden which means that firemen are in charge of burning not only

literature itself, but the houses used to hide it. Montag never questions his actions, he simply

follows orders given to him. One day while wandering in the street he meets Clarisse, an

eccentric neighbor that allows Montag to wake up and question what reality really is.

Fahrenheit 451 is a very interesting book with an extremely well made plot. You either

love books or you hate them, and both sides have consequences. If you love books you are

breaking the law and are in danger of getting prosecuted, on the other hand if you hate books you

are stuck in a bubble of false reality full of technology and deception. The novel may seem very

predictable, but that is exactly what makes this novel stand out from others. You feel like you

know what is going to happen, but instead something completely different happens. Bradbury

purposefully made this novel extremely thought-provoking to make you think about every

situation and allow you to analyze every aspect of the book. Take this quote from page 11 as an

example, “As he stood there the sky over the house screamed. There was a tremendous ripping

sound as if two giant hands had torn ten thousand miles of black linen down the seam. Montag

was cut in half. He felt his chest chopped down and split apart.” Bradbury uses a mixture of
 Camarena-Torres 2

figurative languages to express the way Montag was feeling, it wasn’t literal although it may

seem like it. Something else I noticed is how Bradbury manages to advance the plot while

building character, “Nobody listens any more. I can't talk to the walls because they're

yelling at me. I can't talk to my wife; she listens to the walls. I just want someone to hear what I

have to say.” This quote both describes society's indoctrination with Mildred, and Montag's

desperate state of mind. As well as building character, this makes readers more intrigued in the

book since they will be questioning the ending of the quote. What is Montag going to do to make

someone listen to what he has to say? What will happen? Will it endanger him or help him find

an escape? Although this quote may seem small and insignificant, it allows Bradbury to achieve

many things. The tone present throughout the novel is very tense, gloomy, but most importantly

apocalyptic. The combination of these emotions give suspense to the reader, often leaving them

shocked but still interested. The thought that a dystopia like this could be coming in the future

only adds on to the reader's eagerness.

Fahrenheit 451 is a fantastic novel for those who are into suspenseful, thought-provoking

literature. It has very unique characters that readers will really connect with, and the theme of the

book is nothing short of amazing. I would rank it 5 stars mainly because of the message

conveyed. We are currently living in a technology filled era, and I believe everyone should be

able to capture the message presented in this novel. I would mainly recommend it to teens due to

some of the violent nature in the book, and because teens are more likely to understand hidden

messages and fully appreciate the content. All in all, this was a great novel that kept me intrigued

and excited to keep reading and I recommend anyone aged 12+ to dive in.