Fehrenheit 451

by Ray Bradbury

Its been a few years now since I read this book. I joined a book club some years ago and bought this book as one of the first ones we read together. It was part of the Vlogbrothers' Nerdfighter book club.

In which John discusses Part 1 of Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451, "The Hearth and the Salamander," including discussions of Guy Montag, Clarisse, the complicated relationship between technology and nature, and more. Huzzah for the Nerdfighter Book Club!

Fehrenheit 451 is set in one of those ‘alterative universe’ kinda places. The main protagonist is a guy called Montag whose job is a fireman – A fireman not in our traditional sense but rather in this universe it is one who sets fire for the greater good of humanity. More specifically it is the job of the fireman to seek out books and torch them, arresting those who harbour these texts that remind us what asses and fools we are.

Montag is happily married and been working as a fireman for quite some time. His wife suffers from terrible dreams and sucicidal tendencies. This seems to be managed by some sort of vacuum contraption carried by the EMTs which literally sucks out these thoughts along with any memory of the incident itself. Montag is not unhappy just becoming tired of this somewhat limited existence.
Finally several incidents collide, causing him to call his profession into question: 

• firstly, he happens upon a 17 year old girl, Clarrise who world view is somewhat broader than his own and she opens his eyes to new possibilities such as the simple delight of tasting the rain
• secondly, Montag, hios captain and the squad on assignment when a library is discovered. It is their job to clear the house, pour Keresene, and light it up. Only the old lady whose collection it is refuses to leave, instead she strikes the match herself, flames engulfing along with her books.

Montag begins to question, choosing to save and read a few books here and there. I won’t spoil the ending for you, simply to say he begins to seek out like minded people as he reflects on how:

The sun burned every day. It burned Time. The world rushed in a circle and turned on its axis and time was busy burning the years and the people anyway, without any help from him. So if he burnt things with the firemen, and the sun burnt Time, that meant that everything burned!

All is focused around Montag however it is Faber I connect with. He’s the wise old professor who has been safe guarding books by reading and memorising them. Montag seeks his help but Faber is weary of him, with being a fireman and the questionable change of heart, is it a set up? That mix of eagerness and caution toward change I find I am able to relate to. Too often I think we, and when I say we I really mean I, allow caution to paralyze me into inaction or perhaps eagerness and enthusiasm run away with me. There should be some carefully considered balance in my decision making.

Which classics did you have to read at school? 

Synopsis

Set in the twenty-fourth century, Fahrenheit 451 introduces a new world in which control of the masses by the media, overpopulation, and censorship has taken over the general population. The individual is not accepted and the intellectual is considered an outlaw. Television has replaced the common perception of family. The fireman is now seen as a flamethrower, a destroyer of books rather than an insurance against fire. Books are considered evil because they make people question and think. The people live in a world with no reminders of history or appreciation of the past; the population receives the present from television.

Teacher Notes 

The NEA Big Read Reader Resources deepen your exploration with interviews, booklists, time lines, and historical information.
Fahrenheit 451: A Teacher's Guide teaches various aspects of Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury.
Teacher Vision: Fahrenheit 451 Teacher's Guide deepens students' understanding of Ray Bradbury's dystonia novel with these pre-reading resources and activities, discussion questions, reader response quotes, post-reading activities, and projects. 
My Unit: Fahrehenheit 451A collection of pdfs and images that offer teachers support in the teaching of this dystonia novel.

Author

 Ray Douglas Bradbury was an American fantasy, science fiction, horror and mystery fiction author. Widely known for his dystopian novel Fahrenheit 451 as well as his science fiction and horror stories.

Books by the same author

Fahrenheit 451
The Martian Chronicles
Something Wicked This Way Comes