Oh boy did I have quite the journey with this book! When I started reading Fahrenheit 451, I was a little apprehensive as to whether or not I thought I would enjoy this book. My mom has taught it to her students a few times, and she has never really been a fan of Bradbury’s style. Normally, my mom and I have very different opinions on books we read. I usually do not like books she recommends, and she usually loves books I can barely bring myself to finish. In a way, it makes getting book recommendations from her difficult, for we are almost never on the same page. However, I agree with her about Fahrenheit 451. I started out strong. The first thirty percent of the book flew by. I was honestly a little surprised I got immersed in the book so quickly. I had finished The Great Gatsby only a few days prior to starting Fahrenheit 451, and I usually have a difficult time getting started with a new book after I finish one I love. However, my quick burst through the first part of Fahrenheit 451 quickly came to stop, and my opinion of the book took an entirely different direction.
The reason I was immediately hooked was because of the fast pace. You quickly become immersed into the mind of Guy Montag and are introduced to Clarisse and Mildred. Personally, I found Clarisse to be one of the more interesting characters. I found her qwerkiness and lack of filter to be refreshing amidst the rather dull world they lived in. However about halfway through the book, I started to lose interest. I felt that Bradbury’s writing walked a fine line between not being descriptive enough and being too descriptive. While Guy’s conversations would be in great detail, I still had a difficult time imagining the scene. It made the reading experience rather frustrating. However what truly resulted in my lack of interest was that I was halfway through the book and still never felt invested in the characters. The fire chief was burned alive, and I frankly didn’t care. If Guy Montag had died on the next page, and we got a new main character, I wouldn’t have cared either. I simply did not feel engaged as a reader, and that bothered me. The best part about reading is when you are so engrossed in a book but can’t seem to put it down. If anything, I found myself not wanting to pick it back up. Because this is personal reading, and it isn’t for an assignment, I decided that it was time to put this book away. It just is not for me, and that’s okay. I will probably read a summary of the last half of the book so that I can follow any conversations I might have about the story, but I think that’s it for me. Right now, I am looking forward to diving into another book that I will hopefully enjoy a lot more.
While I may not have enjoyed Fahrenheit 451, that doesn’t mean that it does not contribute anything interesting to societal dialogue. Although I could comment on the themes of censorship, order, or knowledge in Fahrenheit 451, I thought I might take this literature focused blog post in a different direction than usual and discuss some things that Ray Bradbury himself has been quoted to say about his own work. In 2007, Amy E. Boyle Johnson wrote an article for LA Weekly about the Pulitzer Prize winners. She interviewed the famous author, especially discussing the misconceptions surrounding Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451. Johnson writes, “Fahrenheit 451 is not, he says firmly, a story about government censorship. Nor was it a response to Senator Joseph McCarthy, whose investigations had already instilled fear and stifled the creativity of thousands…Bradbury, a man living in the creative and industrial center of reality TV and one-hour dramas, says it is, in fact, a story about how television destroys interest in reading literature.” While I personally don’t completely agree with that message, I don’t wholeheartedly disagree either. Bradbury’s point was that media contributes so much useless and unsubstantial information that you think you’re satisfied, but you actually aren’t. The news, in his opinion, is comprised of factoids rather than interesting, whole stories. While there is some truth to these observations, I find this is just so pessimistic. Bradbury’s strong words regarding television are not completely ill-founded, for I have even found myself preferring to watch another episode of Friends or Veronica Mars on occasion over finishing a book. However, television is a relaxing outlet for me. I wind down after a stressful day by watching a good ol’ sitcom. Just because people may watch silly things that give the impression of being useless, it doesn’t mean that it still doesn’t serve some greater purpose. It isn’t like I never read. If anything, I read a lot because I am still in school! I just choose to also participate in other forms of entertainment. Even the news, which may appear to be less substantial than it used to be, for it now can often feel like a headline reel, still gets current events to the people. The primary difference is that in this technologically advanced time, we can now go online and look up another article on a particular event, after hearing an inkling of information about it on the news that peaked our interest.
Would I recommend Fahrenheit 541? Not particularly. However, I would recommend people at least start it, for perhaps someone else genuinely enjoyed it! While this book may not have been for me, it is still a classic piece of American literature and will likely continue to receive accolades and praise. I wish I could have ended my summer reading on a better note, but the school year starts in about two weeks. With the LSAT only days before my first day of the school year, I find it unlikely that I will be able to finish another book in time. However I will definitely enjoy reading the next book on my list much more.
xx
Emily
