Fahrenheit 451 (SparkNotes Literature Guide Series)

When examining Fahrenheit 451, a science fiction novel written by Ray Bradbury, one must first consider the time and circumstance when it was conceived and written. World War II had recently ended and the Cold War was raging. The Communist were ruling the countries behind the Iron Curtain with a very firm hand. Bradbury has chosen a time and a place four hundred years in the future to deliver his message of censorship and government control. He shows the reader a strange society and a culture shaped by strict governmental control of all facets of life. He uses an uneducated working class character named Guy Montag to show the virtues of the individual and the corruption that can be found in governments. Montag, as the central character, is awakened from a violent job as a fireman who burns people, books, and buildings in support of a corrupt government that wants total control and censorship of all aspects of society. Several themes are brought to life through the characters in the novel including man against man, good versus evil, and the individual versus society. Bradbury erases all references to the past and installs a life that is very advanced and high tech in terms of modern conveniences, but yet it is very prehistoric in terms of its oppression and absence of personal freedoms. Through Montag, Bradbury uses a working class hero to portray a victory over oppression. The battle for personal freedoms is important in the book as Bradbury shows us what can happen when man is denied the opportunity to exercise his freedoms of thought or even to remember his past or look up to his forefathers. While this story takes place in a relatively short period of time in the life of the hero, Guy Montag, it shows very clearly how the author felt about the twin evils of oppression and censorship. After meeting his neighbor Clarisse, who dies early, Montag begins to realize how important personal freedoms are. We are shown through Clarisse, Mildred, and Beatty what happens when individual freedoms are denied. Bradbury, who does not use a lot of deep, expanded character development, uses his characters very effectively. Each of these characters is sacrificed to show the dangers of rigid governmental control and total oppression. In contrast, Bradbury uses the characters of Granger, Faber, and Montag to show that an individual can make a difference in society. He gives us a lesson, the theme of which says it is important to fight for our freedoms, as they are not a guaranteed right. Bradbury does a great job in making me think about how precious our freedoms remain. After reading and re-reading the novel, I have really come to appreciate his style and the unique story that he has woven. His characters are appropriate for the time frame of the story, but each has a vital role in delivering the themes and messages that Bradbury wishes to convey to the reader. The message that Bradbury brings to the reader in Fahrenheit 451 shows what can happen if we consent to allow our governments to take total control over what we read, watch, think, or talk about. While many people and virtually all books were victims of censorship in Fahrenheit 451, some individuals were willing to fight and make the ultimate sacrifice to ensure that books and freedoms would continue to survive.Show Less