Fahrenheit 451

by Ray Bradbury

Reviewed by Jennifer Cai

Fall 2016

REVIEW: Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
ISBN#: 9781451673319

THE STORY:

Guy Montag is a fireman, a man who burns books. He lives in a setting that shows a desolate, bleak future where books are outlawed. He is a fireman, expected to burn illegal works along with the houses in which the books are found. When his quaint and youthful neighbor Clarisse McClellan moves in, he begins to question his actions. Tempted by curiosity, Montag commits the crime of book reading, and meets up with Faber, a retired English professor, to discuss the value of ideas.

He confronts his wife’s friends to discuss family and politics, resulting in Montag reading them a poem. They react emotionally and are unsure on why they are crying. After his wife takes sleeping pills, he hides his books and heads off to work. His boss, Captain Beatty, engages him in an anti-book rhetoric, but is interrupted by the alarm. Montag discovers that he was reported by his own wife. After burning down his home, Beatty and Montag engage in a fight, where Beatty continuously verbally pummels Montag. Montag threatens Beatty with the flamethrower, and when Beatty continues, he pulls the switch and Beatty dies. Montag runs away from the city, and escapes, at the cost of another person’s life, who was killed by the police to retain the public’s confidence. He starts anew with many other book readers to recreate a society where books and thoughts can prosper. (233)

MY OPINION:

Throughout the book, I was constantly confused to what was going on, and I kept on going back to reread some parts to clarify questions I had. Many times, I questioned what the drive of each character was, and what they represented. The book used plenty of similes and personification, along with sentence variety and specific words. For me, the beginning was rather confusing, and I did not understand many fragments of the book until later. The setting of the story was rather dark, and the writing style and word choice only amplified the mood and added suspense. In the beginning, how Montag behaved showed an internal struggle against himself and society, his faith in society declining. He didn't seem very aware of the world around him, and was manipulated and swayed by Faber and Beatty. The ending of the book ended on a hopeful note, open to interpretation. I would recommend this book to older middle school students and high school students due to the mild cursing and word choice, as well as the necessity to stop and think to analyze the situations. Overall, I would rate this book eight out of ten stars. I would certainly read this book again, especially if I wanted something to think about. (210)

STUDY QUESTIONS AND VOCABULARY:

FIRST SECTION

1. What is the fireman, Guy Montag, burning?

1a. The fireman is burning books. (pg. 5)

2. Who is the mysterious girl, and what is she doing?

2a. The girl is Clarisse McClellan, Montag’s new neighbor. She is outside because she is going out for a walk. (pg. 5)

3. What does a ‘pedestrian’ stand for in this society?

3a. A pedestrian is a person who walks on the road. Clarisse’s uncle was arrested for being a pedestrian.

4. Who is Mildred?

4a. Mildred is Guy Montag’s wife. (pg. 16)

5. For what reason was Clarisse McClellan killed?

5a. Instead of asking how to do things, she was asking why, which would apparently make one unhappy if one kept at it.

minstrel (pg. 2)

stratum (pg. 12)

proclivities (pg. 30)

pratfall (pg. 53)

saccharine (pg. 77)

MIDDLE SECTION

6. What was the aftermath of Montag reading a poem to Mildred and her friends?

6a. Mrs. Phelps begins to cry for a reason she herself does not know. Mrs. Bowles, another friend of Mildred, is enraged at Montag and begins to verbally attack him. Montag yells at them to leave. Mildred is distraught. (pg. 97)

7. Why is Beatty trying to confuse Montag?

7a. Beatty knows that Montag has read a poem, and is eager to get a rise out of Montag and Montag’s reaction to his taunts, as they are also playing poker. (pg. 105)

8. What is the result of Montag’s temper and his reaction to Beatty’s taunts?

8a. Montag shoots a flamethrower and Beatty dies painfully. (pg. 113)

9. What do the police do when Montag throws them off his tail and escapes?

9a. The police scapegoat an innocent man who was out for a night walk. (pg. 142)

10. Who are the five strangers that have found Montag?

10a. The men are well educated people, most of who work as professors.

filigree (pg. 99)

abound (pg. 102)

verbinge (pg. 103)

perfunctorily (pg. 105)

phosphorescent (pg. 119)

                               

LAST SECTION

11. What is the meaning behind book burning in Fahrenheit 451?

11a. To Bradbury, burning a book is like burning the author, which is basically us denying our humanity, as literature is as valuable as life. (pg. 168)

12. What is The Pedestrian, the book that leads to Fahrenheit 451, based on?

12a. The incident that inspired Bradbury would be a late night walk. A passing patrolman pulled him aside to question him. (pg. 172)

13. What are a few more issues that Bradbury addresses through his books?

13a. A few issues addressed would include climate change and tyrannical government. (pg. 186)

14. What part of society does Mildred represent?

14a. Montag’s wife likely represents the part of society immersed in a withdrawn and shallow lifestyle, kept quiet through entertainment through gadgets, television and such. (pg. 189)

15. Beatty has used knowledge from books to fight a verbal battle against Montag. How did he access the books without being punished?

15a. Beatty had once read books and learned from them before becoming a fireman. (pg. 202)

voraciously (pg. 168)

nihilistic (pg. 173)

raptures (pg. 186)

subversive (pg. 188)

browbeat (pg. 194)