"There
must be something in books, something we can't imagine, to make a woman stay in
a burning house; there must be something there. You don't stay
for nothing"
Imagine a world where possessing a book
that hasn’t been approved by the government is a crime, where knowledge is
considered a weakness. This is the kind of world Bradbury builds and enamours
us in. The book introduces us to a time where all literature needs to be approved by the government and all buildings
are now fireproof (you would wonder why this tiny bit of information is
important but I will get to it).
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The book follows Guy Montag, a
firefighter, who consumes government propaganda blindly. The question may arise
on the need of a firefighter. In this world, firefighters find out people hiding
“illegal” books and burn them. However, the monotony and ignorance in Guy’s
life ends, when he learns of the past where people didn’t live in fear and
starts collecting books on his own. (Now I won’t be explaining how this change
in perspective happened as it would involve giving away spoilers.)
The book forces
you to think and you can’t help but wonder if the world we live in is moving in
the same direction which is the reason why the book has been described by many
as “the terrifying prophetic novel of a
post literature future”. If we really think about it, how many of us open a
book to gain knowledge about a particular issue? We either watch a YouTube
video or if we are in a hard working zone, read an article or two. And thus
unknowingly, we just reduced the demand for a book. Another question that the
book raises is that when a book is written, a majority of them might offend one
section of the population or might hurt their sentiments. So won’t it be better
if that book is just made illegal, after all the freedom of speech and
expression is not meant to hurt anyone, so doesn’t it become the “duty” of the
government to ensure they are not published? Sometimes, the books actually make
us face the harsh reality of the world and at that moment won’t we think
ignorance IS bliss?
“If you hide your
ignorance, no one will hit you and you'll never learn.”
Now this might be an unpopular opinion,
but I believe books set in a dystopian world get slow sometimes, focus more on
explaining the ideologies and you start losing interest in the plot. However,
Fahrenheit 451 manages to keep you enticed from the start to finish; you can’t
help but continue turning its pages until the finish and as you read the last
sentence, you are left with a week’s worth thinking to do. Bradbury makes you
question and understand everything from what is going on in Montag’s head to
the real world reflections present in the book.
I would like to end with the quote that
is most relatable for me:
“I'm seventeen and I'm crazy. My uncle says the two always go together. When people ask your age, he said, always say seventeen and insane."
- Sanjana Singh
P.S. Fahrenheit 451 is the temperature at
which book-paper catches fire and burns.
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