Fahrenheit 451 2 Essay, Research Paper

FAHRENHEIT 451

A WORLD WITH NO BOOKS

Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 was an interesting Science fiction thriller that provided an

odd view on the censorship of books. Not just some books, but all books. An entire distorted

culture and civilization where all books are prohibited. And the penalty for being caught with

books is that the books must be burned and in some cases the penalty may lead to death. In this

tale of censorship and self discovery, Bradbury leads the reader through a short period in the

life of the protagonist, Guy Montag. A firefighter struggling with his conscience to determine if

a society without books is right. Fahrenheit 451 has an entertaining theme and plot and a well

paced story line. This book combines catchy description and well thought out characters to put

together a gripping story that keeps the readers attention. It is interesting to see how a once

controversial topic could create such a dystopia in one place.

Fahrenheit 451 had many examples of good writing techniques that made it a good novel.

One technique that Bradbury did a good job of using was description. He described things

specifically using outstanding similes and personifications. One example is how he mentioned

the fire hose. He called it “the great python spitting its venomous kerosene upon the world.”

(Bradbury 3) This made the reader not only visualize the hose but get a feel for the mood about

the firemen at that time. Another example of good description is how he described the physical

appearance of the firemen. “Their charcoal hair and their soot-colored brows and their

bluish-ash-smeared cheeks where they had shaven close.” (32) The adjectives charcoal and

soot-colored describe the color of their hair but also are words that relate to their job as a

fireman. Finally, an excellent example of Bradbury’s descriptive writing was when Montag

pulled the trigger and set Captain Beatty on fire. “There was a hiss like a great mouthful of

spittle banging a red-hot stove, a bubbling and frothing as if salt had been poured over a

monstrous black snail to cause a terrible liquefaction and a boiling over of yellow foam.” (117)

A different aspect of writing that made Fahrenheit 451 a good story was the way he kept

the book well paced. There were few dead spots in the story and few spots that pushed the

storyline along too quickly. Another aspect of the story that made it enjoyable was the

characters and their relations to each other. Each character brought a special part to the story

that effected the plot and other characters. One of the most important characters was Clarrise.

She was the teenage girl that began Montag’s self realization that a world with no books was

wrong. For that, Montag had a special appreciation for her. She stated that ,”Didn’t firemen

prevent fires rather than stoke them up and get them going.” (33) Another relationship in this

novel that made it good was that of Montag and Captain Beatty. Throughout most of the story

had a strange fear and hatred towards Captain Beatty. When Montag started to collect books

from the houses he and other firemen burned, he got extremely paranoid and edgy with Beatty.

He began to see Beatty as the absolute opposite of what he wanted to become. Captain Beatty

represented all of the evil in what they did to the books. He taunted Montag for wanting to

change his life around. “Go ahead now you, second hand litterateur, pull the trigger.” (117) This

was how Montag was treated moments before he was about to end Beatty’s life. In all effect, the

relationships in this novel proved to be very relevant and well thought out.

Fahrenheit 451 was an excellent book that would interest many different types of people.

It contains a plot that brushes very close to a dystopia that could happen in our culture today.

Therefore creating a unique element of suspense. Fahrenheit 451 is also a story about self

discovery and change. Readers would enjoy to read through Montag’s confusion with figuring

out right and wrong, and avoiding a government filled with ignorance. This book proves to be

packed with action, adventure and emotion. It is a science fiction tale that will surly continue to

intrigue minds, young and old for generations to come.