false119787034534296897803453429686454562Fahrenheit 451http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1176400211m/119787.jpg
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/119787.Fahrenheit_451
1630Ray Bradbury148254753055trueWed Mar 05 00:00:00 -0800 2008Fri Feb 29 04:45:19 -0800 2008Mon Mar 10 15:54:00 -0700 2008 The only reason this novel did not receive a five from me is because it does not pick up until the second part. Part one essentially sets up the story and lays the groundwork for all of the action that is to follow. Although some would say that Guy's conversations with Clarisse are the most important part of the part one, possibly even the book, I put higher importance to his discourse with Captain Beatty about there society came to be the way it is. It has shaped my views on censorship more than any other part in this book or anything elsewhere, because it's true. I can see it in my day. I do not know if Bradbury was making a prediction or looking around his world, but this book speaks to me on that level. The minorities must not be upset at risk of upsetting them. one must censor words out of books for children lest there simple minds become oh so corrupt!
The book is about the characters. Not their environment or anything like that, but just who each person is as an individual. First you have Guy, whom is struggling to accept the fact that books must be burned, even though so many people want to possess and read them. As the main character he obviously changes as the story progresses - going from someone who is weary of even hiding a book in his house to going on the wrong for killing a fire chief. Then there is the fire chief, Captain Beatty, whom is supposed to be the embodiment of the antagonist in the book - censorship. While he does fill this role quite well, I think there's more to him than that. He is Guy's pusher; if it weren't for Beatty being the type of scary and powerful man he is, Guy would never have been able to work up know just how much gutso he needed to achieve. Next there is Mildred, or 'Millie,' whom is the wife of Guy, even though it's clear that the two have no physical passion. She spends her time with the 'family' that comes on the wall-TVs, pretty much forgetting about Guy except that he is occasionally in the same house as her. She kind of embodies one side of the internal conflict with Guy; being passive to the world around you, accepting everything as is, being happy with the mindless drivel the states gives you, and not trying to upset the balance; this becomes even clearer with the fact that they live together and are separated by twin beds. Next is Faber, the old English professor who helps Guy understand the beauty of books and the world they used to be accepted in. Opposite of Mildred, Faber is the side of the internal conflict within Guy that wants to change the world, but doesn't know how, is afraid to step out of their boundaries, and has the passion for books. This is symbolized by Faber being able to speak to Guy for a while because of an earpiece (akin to a conscience) and Faber not comfortable with even stepping out of his house. Lastly there is Clarisse, the little girl who reveals Guy to the world he missed out on, one where cars don't have to go 55mph, one where people sat outside and talked and thought, one where people read books without having their homes burnt down. She appears very peculiar to Guy, but by the end of the novel, she seems normal, and he starts to feel her presence even though she was killed in a car accident.
I think the afterword and coda that were in my edition need mentioning, too. The afterword describes a play where where they gave a bit of a spin to Beatty. In the play, he has a library of books, one which he never touches. He most likely has every piece of classical literature in there, but everyday just shrugs it off. He describes his childhood as one obsessed by books, but once his world started to fall apart, he found that those that he most cherished were not helping at all, they were just offering false promises - which is what prompted him to become a fireman. I think this would have been neat to see in the novel, but Bradbury said he wanted to keep the book exactly how it was when he published it in 1953.
As for the coda, it is basically Bradbury ranting about censorship. He shares a couple of stories that reveal how censoring people can be - even a story about how 451 had been slowly censored over the thirty years since its first publication! If I could, I'd run around repeating the words to everyone.