Fahrenheit 451

I picked up a book you may have heard of (it's well known) entitled Fahrenheit 451 yesterday, the plot mainly concerns a fireman's changing attitude towards the utopian (dystopian) society he lives in. Firemen in the future do not put out fires in this novel, they incinerate literature. Why? The culture of the time has become so fixated with "factoids" and television that they have found no need to read books or really do any true thinking at all. Sound familiar?

Yeah, it creeps me out as well.

But that is when a future based novel really succeeds, when it hits home on present issues. Many see it as commentary on censorship, the author has expressed that he intended it to be commentary on how society is becoming less concerned with intellectual pursuits and more concerned with "quick, meaningless entertainment", I like to view it as both. The characters were well fleshed out, specifically Captain Beatty who delivers a classic, kick ass villian monologue explaining how things came to be, and why it is for the better. The protagonist, Montag, is the opposite of a Mary Sue, human in every sense, and prone to human emotion. All in all Clarisse, a free-spirited and very insightful 17 year old girl intrigued me the most. She alone convinced Montag to question the status quo, the culture of his society itself, making her the defacto catalyst of the entire plot. Description of her appearence and demeanor was top knotch, instead of giving us vague notions of what Clarisse looks like the author intricately constructs a mental image that sticks with you, simply because of how unique it is.

Pacing was a bit off, the story at times awkwardly transitioning from a frantic atmosphere to that of a relaxed one, though it is not a problem that plagues the entirity of the novel. Overall the novel was an interesting adventure that integrated intriguing commentary on the social condition that exists today with dramatic self realization and evolution, leading to possible cultural revolution.

Citing it's realistic character development, relevant theme, and excellent plot progression, I give Fahrenheit 451 a solid 9/10.

Now leave me be, I have things to see, people to do.