Fahrenheit 451

Fahrenheit 451

Fahrenheit 451

Where fire reigns supreme, is there light?   Books are burned in spite of what lies inside.   Guy Montag, the protagonist of Fahrenheit 451, seeks to douse the flame and bring the light of knowledge to the world.   Guy Montag is a Prometheus-like character.   Like Prometheus, a Greek titan who was punished for bringing fire to man, Montag is punished for seeking knowledge in books instead of burning them.   Ray Bradbury, the author of Fahrenheit 451, shows how Guy Montag “breaks his bonds” by enjoying books.   While the rest of society watches television on wall-size sets, Montag learns and thinks about how the world must have been long before books were banned.
Today, many people read for pleasure.   Some people read because they have to.   Either way, people read, and gain knowledge from books.   In the future, where this particular book is set, people aren’t allowed to read.   The firemen burn books and set fires instead of putting them out.   Knowledge and freedom are basically outlawed.   It’s illegal to be a pedestrian, people don’t do anything outdoors, and instead watch television on wall-sized screens inside their homes.   One fireman, Guy Montag, starts thinking about a time when firemen extinguished fires instead of starting them.   He begins to wonder why books are banned and why they must be burned.  
The futuristic world of Fahrenheit 451 is controlled by the government through censorship.   By banning books and other activities that express individuality, the so-called “citizens” become non-threatening, non-interesting people who are easily

manipulated.   In a sense they are more slaves than citizens.   Although many believe they live in a near perfect society, Montag realizes how unrealistic it is.   While burning a woman who wishes to die with her books than be censored, he steals a book and hides it under his coat.   He begins reading it and notices that books hold knowledge that can help the world.   The story of Prometheus is closely...