Fahrenheit 451 is a dystopian soft science fiction novel by Ray Bradbury that was published in 1953.
It is set in a society where censorship is prevalent, and moronic citizens learn only from television. Most books are banned and critical thought is suppressed. The central character, Guy Montag, is employed as a "fireman" (which, in this case, means "book burner"). 451 degrees Fahrenheit is stated as "the temperature at which book-paper catches fire, and burns …". It was originally published as a shorter novella, The Fireman, in the February 1951 issue of Galaxy Science Fiction. A film adaptation, by François Truffaut, was released in 1966, and another is anticipated. In addition to the movies, there have been at least two BBC Radio 4 dramatizations, both of which follow the book very closely.
The novel reflects several major concerns of the time of its writing: what Bradbury has called "the thought-destroying force" of censorship in the 1950s, the book-burnings in Nazi Germany starting in 1933, Stalin's suppression of authors and books in the Soviet Union, and the horrible consequences of the explosion of a nuclear weapon. "I meant all kinds of tyrannies anywhere in the world at any time, right, left, or middle", Bradbury has said.
One particularly ironic circumstance is that, unbeknownst to Bradbury, his publisher released a censored edition in 1967 that eliminated the words "damn" and "hell" for distribution to schools. Later editions with all words restored include a "Coda" from the author describing this event and further thoughts on censorship and "well-meaning" revisionism.
Bradbury has stated that the entirety of his novel was written in the basement of the UCLA library on a pay typewriter. His original intention in writing Fahrenheit 451 was to show his great love for books and libraries. He has often referred to Montag as an allusion to himself.
Plot Summary
Fahrenheit 451 takes place in an unspecified future time, possibly in the 21st or 22nd century, in a hedonistic and rabidly anti-intellectual America that has completely abandoned self-control and bans the possession of books. People are now only entertained by in-ear radio and an interactive form of television. The protagonist, Guy Montag, is a fireman, certain that his job—burning books, and the houses that hold them, and persecuting those who own them, is the right thing to do.
It is by chance that one night he meets a girl called Clarisse McClellan, whose free-thinking ideals and liberating spirit cause him to question his life, his ideals, and his own perceived happiness. One night, after he learns that Clarisse has been killed in an accident, the fire station receives a call to arms. They are brought to the house of an old lady. While ransacking the house, Montag accidentally reads a line: "Time has fallen asleep in the afternoon sunshine." This prompts him to steal a book. The woman then refuses to leave her house and her books, and sacrifices herself. This disturbs Montag greatly.
Later, he is visited by his fire Chief Cpt. Beatty, who tells him the "reasons" behind his job. How it was society, in its search for happiness, that suppressed books; how the government simply took the opportunity given to it. Montag asks Beatty what would happen if he had taken a book. Beatty says all firemen do it at one time or another but can turn it in within 24 hours. Montag argues with his wife, showing his growing disgust for her and for his society.
It is soon revealed that Montag has hidden dozens of books in the house, and he tries to read them, but becomes frustrated that the words seem to simply fall away. He then remembers a man he met before: Faber, a former English professor. Montag seeks Faber's help, and together they hatch a plot to slowly bring down the firemen's industry.
Montag returns to the fire house and gives Beatty a book. During a card game, Beatty tells Montag he had a dream about him, and relates the literary argument he says they had in his dream. He quotes many books and shows a thorough knowledge of literature, but he uses that knowledge to defend the firemen's role. Then there is yet another call to arms, and Beatty theatrically leads the crew to Montag's own home. He reveals that he knew all along of Montag's books, and charges Montag himself to destroy the house solo. Montag goes to work, but is not content only to destroy the books. He burns the televisions and other emblems of his ignorant past life. He then kills Beatty and knocks out two other firemen, a crime that makes him an enemy of the state.
He flees to Faber's house, with a futuristic hound and helicopters in pursuit. Faber tells him of vagabond book-lovers in the countryside. Then Montag, having washed off his scent in a local river, floats downstream and meets such a group—mostly older men—who, to Montag's astonishment, have memorized entire books, to be preserved orally until books are allowed again. They themselves burn the books they read to prevent them from being discovered; the true books are safely stored in their minds. The group leader, Granger, discusses the legendary phoenix and its endless cycle of long life, death in flames, and rebirth; he says the phoenix must be some relation of mankind.
At this point an international war begins, and Montag watches helplessly as the jets fly over the city and drop their bombs. His wife, Mildred, is killed in the explosions. It is implied that the bombs are nuclear. Montag and the homeless people return to the city to help rebuild their society in the manner of the phoenix, hoping that humanity will learn from its mistakes and do better this time.
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