Fahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury

Introduction

Fahrenheit 451 was Ray Bradbury's first serious novel. His earlier book-length work, The Martian Chronicles (1950), was a loosely connected cycle of short stories. In the opinion of many critics, Fahrenheit 451 remains his only worthwhile novel. Appropriately enough for a writer who has been considered a master of short fiction; this novel grew out of a story, titled “The Fireman,” which Bradbury had published in 1951. Fahrenheit 451 reached a wide audience through François Truffaut's film adaptation of 1966, which starred Julie Christie as both Mildred and Clarisse and Oscar Werner as Guy Montag.

Discussion

Bradbury's novel is a classic example of dystopian fiction, a subgenre of utopian literature (Bradbury, 22). Montag starts out as a loyal member of the future society and only gradually shows signs of disaffection. His progress toward rebellion is aided by a female companion (Clarisse) and an older mentor figure (Faber, and to some extent Beatty) who provide alternate sets of values.

Thus, Fahrenheit 451 takes the genre of dystopia to its logical conclusion by enthusiastically proclaiming the power of the written word against any oppression. As the novel progresses, however, Bradbury transcends the static opposition of the natural and the technological and focuses on the ambiguity of his central symbol, fire (Johnson, 42).

Montag is initially fascinated by fire, and this fascination persists, even as his repulsion against the act of book-burning grows. He once compares Clarisse's glowing face to the light of a candle, an image that brings up a nostalgic childhood memory. The first of the many literary quotes that draw Montag inexorably toward forbidden books describes a martyr's death as the lighting of a candle.

The destructive aspect of fire is embodied by Beatty, a true pyromaniac who is constantly playing with fire. For Beatty, fire is the ultimate weapon that ...