Can truth change over time? Do people who don’t embrace technology have a negative impact on society? How integral is intelligence to a peaceful society? Questions like these are explored in the book Fahrenheit 451.
Fahrenheit 451 was written by Ray Bradbury and published in 1953, and honestly, it’s a change of pace from the books I have previously reviewed.
The plot is set in a time when there is a sense of unity in society. A huge reason why this unity has come about is because people don’t read anymore, books are feared and people are glued to screens. Books in this story are not enjoyed but are simply burned to avoid society thinking, taking sides and therefore clashing. Books are burned for peace. This way of life is where we find our protagonist Guy Montag as he navigates his way through his awakening in a sleeping society.
The premise of this book is unsettling especially because the act of burning books historically has never been to help society pursue knowledge, instead to crush it. As a result, the book has an eerie tone. It’s one of those books where fiction and reality collide. It enables the reader to think about what life would be like if it really happened and also how similar the imagined reality is to the one we are currently living.
I’ve read this book twice, and each time I was filled with sadness, concern and hope. It’s astonishing to think that a book that was written in the fifties could feel as if it was written yesterday. The more I ponder the plot, the more I begin to wonder, did Ray Bradbury predict the future?
At this present moment, we seem to have lost the ability to reflect. We have become a people of right or wrong instead of a people of discussion and sharing ideas. That coupled with the advancements of artificial intelligence in the past few years, make me wonder what the future will hold and if Ray Bradbury will be spot on. I certainly hope not.
Fahrenheit 451 is unique. It’s filled with truth and fiction, yet hope and despair. When you read the book, you want to put it down due to the uncomfortable feeling you get, yet at the same time, you feel the need to get to the end to find out if the protagonist survives the awakening he goes through. I would recommend the book to anyone who likes to read dystopian fiction or anyone who enjoys reading stories that make you analyse yourself and the society in which we live.
Title: Did Ray Bradbury Predict the Future?
Author: Leonie Thomas
Date Published: 30.4.2023
Leonie Thomas 