Critical Response Fahrenheit 451

The novel “Farenheit 451” written Ray Bradbury between 1950 and 1953 is thought provoking novel which raises important concerns about what the future may hold. Predominantly told through the eyes of the protagonist Guy Montag Bradbury warns humanity of a future containing mind manipulation, abuse of technology and heavy government censorship. The purpose of this book is clearly to warn society of the path we are headed to if we continue to value new technology over knowledge by showing us “that although knowledge can cause disharmony, knowledge of the past can help prevent man from making similar mistakes in the future”. The title “Fahrenheit 451” is significant to the book because it represents the temperature at which books ignite. Since the events of the book are centered around the burning books, which is the ultimate form of censoring, the title “Fahrenheit 451” is representative of the heat, temperature of the burning books.

Ray Bradbury was born in on the 22nd of August 1920 and even from the young age of seven Ray Bradbury was writing stories for his family in Waukegan, Illinois. As a child Bradbury was immersed in the world of fantasy, illusion and comic strips, especially the characters Buck Rogers and Flash Gordon. During high school Bradbury founded and edited his own magazine “Futuria Fantasia” which focused on the supernatural. After graduating from high school in 1938 he began writing short stories that did not sell and had to earn his money by selling newspapers in downtown Los Angeles. In 1953 Bradbury decided to become a full time writer were he produced some of his most famous works such as “The Martian Chronicles”, “Fahrenheit 451” and “Fever Dream”. Bradbury’s hatred for thought control or investigation arises from the fact that his very own ancestor, Mary Bradbury, was trialed as a witch in Massachusetts, during the seventeenth century.

This novel is set in a futuristic dystopian society where in an effort to accomplish sameness and cleanse