"Fahrenheit 451" presents a state whose organisation guarantees happiness for everyone. Isn't that what all of us strive for, happiness? Isn't that what all children ask for, 24-hour entertainment? Yes, it is. So how stupid Montag must be that he wants all this destroyed. Now it's your turn. I instantly ask you: Do not commit the same blunder! Take the book and burn it! It is the only thing it deserves because otherwise it will take happiness away from you. Burn it! Burn it right now!
But wait, just a second. What is it, I wonder, something so marvellous, so wonderful that Montag is willing to give everything else up for it. It is something we still have and take for granted, something we are going to lose if we do not pay attention. "Free will" we call it.
This thought-provoking novel will wake you up to ignorance. It confronts all readers alike with the question how far it is away and what can be done to prevent it.
"Fahrenheit 451" is a highly entertaining book. But at the same time it demonstrates that literature does not only have the function to entertain the readers but to make people alert to threatening developments.
But can this progress really be stopped?
I can only too well imagine Mildred as my granddaughter and I feel ashamed at the thought of it.
I like the book because it is, in my opinion, quite realistic and therefore equally shocking. So it made me open my eyes for a second and look upon the world differently. Nevertheless, I believe that books will not need to be burnt. People themselves will stop reading. This way no bad power will take human's free will. They will indeed give it away voluntarily. That is why I doubt that it is really effective to write utopian books like "F 451" because these who tend to become non-thinkers will not read them and these who will read them do not tend to become non-thinkers. But this is another cup of tea.
My favourite part of the book is the beginning when Montag gradually launches to grasp life, especially the conversations with Clarisse. "Are you happy?" , Clarisse asks Montag, but at the same time the question is addressed to the reader. I love that question. It could be compared to the routined "How are you?" - a question that most of all deserves an answer, even so seldom gets one. Searching for an answer, you regain total consciousness. In our world with more work and less time people seem to forget very often to live. Clarisse brings home to them that they should relax for a moment and look at the world, perceive it intensively as there is life and pleasure in everything. In that respect our society today resembles the one in "F 451" very much. "I feel bored." - perhaps one of the best known sentences. Does it really make a difference whether you watch TV on one or on four walls? Take a look at TV statistics. The mass of the people spend half of their lives in front of the television ( - the other half sleeping ...). Furthermore, I was very amused by the portrayal of marriage as it goes totally in line with the picture of it I have on my mind. Who calls "F 451" utopian? From my view, it is a contemporary history book!
"I did not cry at death but at not crying at death" is my absolutely favourite sentence in the novel. It reflects Montag's mental state as well as how unemotional people are at his time. On the other hand it again also well illustrates that it does not take place somewhen in the distant future. Already nowadays people become more and more unemotional. We have not experienced hunger or poverty. We get almost everything we want. As we do not know real pain, torture and yearning we feel less intensively.
All in all I think this is a very good novel so
read it, read it today - it might be forbidden tomorrow!
