Over the summer, I was told I needed to read two books to be ready for my next school year. One of them being Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451. I remember I asked about the book to others who had already read it. I was given various opinions from both sides of the spectrum. I had high hopes going into the book, seeing as it was a classic, but unfortunately, it wasn’t exactly my taste. 

Fahrenheit 451 is set in a futuristic, dystopian world where books were illegal and the lives of many people were dull and so similar that you would be outcasted if you had a different opinion. The main character, Guy Montag, is like any other guy in his city, but what sets him apart is that he works in the fire department. Unlike what we know today, the fire department in the book actually creates fires and burns places down, specifically places infested with knowledge and books. Throughout the book, Montag discovers how wrong society is and begins to stand up for himself and others. Of course, this isn’t taken well and the government tries to shut him down, putting Montag’s life in danger. Montag, finally gaining a sense of humanity and individuality, does his best to gain and spread knowledge, although it causes him harm.

The overall plot of Fahrenheit is great and really enjoyable if you think about it. But in the moment of reading, it can be super hard to immerse yourself into Bradbury’s words. While I am all for repetition to emphasize the importance of an idea, some of the phrases in the book felt like a chore to read through as it was a similar idea that was mentioned again and again. And maybe this was just me, but it was difficult to picture what exactly he was describing in scenes. For example, he would describe a room that could have thousands of different depictions and nothing was good enough for me to settle on. It frustrated me that I couldn’t picture the image Bradbury wanted to paint. 

I think the main thing that influenced my disharmony with the book was the slow buildup of characters. The two characters I found most interesting were Clarisse and Beatty. Clarisse was a teenage girl who was considered an oddity in the society and was socially outcasted. It was nice to read the interactions between Montag and Clarisse mainly because it finally showed another perspective and was the first step to help Montag find himself. Beatty was the captain of Montag’s fire department, but unlike Montag, was his own person and had his own beliefs which happened to match with the government and rules he enforces. Both Beatty and Clarisse, while they were stepping stones for Montag’s development, also gave the book variety and a set of very enjoyable characters in the long run. However,  it took super long for Montag’s development to happen and most of the other characters didn’t show up often and were mainly only used to help grow Montag. Most of the characters were less secondary protagonists and more like prominent side characters which made it hard to read, since Montag was already a difficult character to get attached to because of his lack of character.

Fahrenheit 451 has a good plot and storyline, but I felt like there could have been more done with other aspects, such as the characters and descriptions. The book is by no means bad, but it just doesn’t fit my tastes. While this book is really my type, I wouldn’t stop anyone from reading and experiencing it myself. If you ever find yourself getting to read this book, by all means, please do. Give the book a shot, maybe you’ll enjoy it!

-Nicole R.

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury is available to checkout from the Mission Viejo Library. It is also available to download for free from Libby.