Fahrenheit 451

Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury

ISBN:  9780345342966
New York: Ballantine Books, 1996

Plot - Guy Montag is in the service industry in his society--he burns books so that people don't have to be confused and depressed by their mixed messages and the convoluted thoughts necessary to understand them.  He and his wife, Mildred, are distant emotionally; she is thoroughly invested in the life of their culture--watching TV on wall sized screens and having friends over to discuss their "families," that is, their TV characters whom they take very personally.  Guy is beginning to be dissatisfied with his work, wondering just what is being lost, when he encounters Clarisse, the 17 year old neighbors' child who reveals her own innocent and very different life she shares with her family.  They go on walks, question what life offers, and Clarisse in particular is actually fond of people.  Too curious to resist, Montag begins hiding some books in his own home to read furtively at night.  He contacts a retired professor he once met, Faber, and together they agree to overturn the reign of ignorance and terror.  From there, Montag's world begins to crumble.  Tragedies occur around him, Clarisse's family disappears, and his wife is in great danger although she refuses to discuss it.  Eventually, Montag's house is burned and his response coupled with the terrible technological beast set to find and numb him into submission forces him to flee society.  He must find a new life, for more than just himself, amidst a group of runaway thinkers calling themselves the Book People.

Critical Evaluation - It is difficult to say enough about this book's merits, or at least to say enough that can do it justice.  Bradbury paints Montag's bleak world, filled with easy answers and fast satisfactions, in great and terrible contrast to his main character's suffering and fury, which makes the latter all the more vivid.  Montag is at once the Everyman and a singular fireman, regretting his emotional disconnection from his wife, and unsure whether he's really cut out to do anything worthwhile to change what's happening around him.  Mildred is revealed through what she avoids--intimacy of any kind, awareness, and thinking.  The omniscient narrator delves into characters' minds only inasmuch as they would reveal themselves, other than Montag, of course.  Bradbury lets the reader infer from each character's actions and words the rest of who they are, and he does so with unbelievable skill.  The parallels between what Bradbury imagined in this too-fast paced world of shallow, unconnected facts beamed onto wall TV sets and our own experiences with reality TV, game shows, and the watering-down of education are frightening and can function as powerful gadflies.  Further, the book is rich with literary allusions and deep symbolism.

Reader's annotation - His job is to help keep his neighbors safe from the confusion and boredom that books bring, but when he hears a young girl's vision of what life can really be, Guy Montag may have to give up everything to live an honest life.
Information about the author - Ray Bradbury, born in 1920, lives in Los Angeles and was married to Maggie until her death in 2003.  Together they raised four daughters who now have children of their own.  Bradbury is a thinker through and through.  According to raybradbury.com, he attending school through 12th grade and then educated himself by reading voraciously in libraries and writing about the stories and ideas that have come to him over the years.  He has traveled extensively, written screen plays, consulted on science-fiction based design projects.  He is wary of the internet only insofar as it can become a toy through which men (not so much women) waste their lives playing instead of growing and engaging in the world around them.

Curriculum Ties - So many--certainly English classes studying the time period, the science fiction genre, use of allusion, metaphor, or symbolism.  Social studies classes will gain immense insight into our own world or into past voices' views on what our world might be like.  History classes will be informed by the cultural information present about what thinkers in the 1950s were concerned about as technology took a firmer hold in everyday life.
Booktalk ideas - 

1. Read the passage where Montag begins to suspect someone has set Hound to be suspicious of him.  Begin on pg. 24 with "Nights when things got dull..." and end on pg. 27 with "None that I know of...".
2. Read Beaty's description of Clarisse to Montag after she's dead, ask for reactions to the family vs. school set-up.

Reading level - 15+  This book was written for adults but of course has been used in secondary school because of its impact on our literary culture, but the writing, the references, the symbolism will have a much deeper impact on an upper level high school student than younger readers. 

Challenge issues - Violence, authority figures shown in a devilish light

Challenge defense ideas:

• Librarian must read the book carefully and include it as a resource intended for older teens.
• Librarian greets students and regularly discusses their reading choices; she provides individualized, age-appropriate guidance in book choice.
• Explain the ways in which the librarian accompanies and guides younger students looking for books, and knows students well as individuals. 

Why I included this book - It's a classic and I hope will remain considered to be one.  It's certainly useful in any discussion regarding censorship, but that's only the beginning.  I've included it here because it encapsulates the beginnings of some very important discussions we need to have with young people today. We also need to encourage them to talk with one another about the balance between convenience, fun, and play and the hard work required to live fully and deeply.