Fahrenheit 451

Like most people who grew up and went to public school in the U.S., I read Fahrenheit 451 for the first time when I was maybe 14 or 15 years old. It was required reading for my English class, and I treated it as such. I don't have a fond memory of really any of the books that I read in high school, probably simply because of all of the busy work that it entailed. That's not to say that the books themselves, at least some of them, weren't deserving of attention being given to them.

That's how I feel about Fahrenheit 451 now after re-reading. It's undoubtedly a classic in the genre that would set the stage for so many in it's wake. Bradbury's prose style is that of a true craftsmen. He writes a good plot line while also taking plenty of time to smell the roses. He does a lot in a small page count, making characters that are fully realized and relatable in their own ways. I was surprised though to see how little from the book that I actually remembered from all those years ago. It's a wonderful book, with an iconic dystopia.

I was however disappointed to see that Bradbury uses several characters as blatant proxies to espouse his own views on modern society in a ham-fisted way. There are several long monologues that throw all subtlety out the window. I sorta see now why this book is used in a lot of English speaking high schools. It's short, it wears its views on its sleeve, it has enough subtext that you could conceivably write a lot as you pick it apart, and it is attention grabbing enough.

I much prefer Brave New World to Fahrenheit 451, not only because of the quality of the writing, but because I agree with it's prophesied version of the future more.