Fahrenheit 451: Author's Values and Attitudes

When reading Fahrenheit 451, the reader can tell that the author, Ray Bradbury, has distinct views, some of which may resemble those expressed by other authors such as George Orwell in 1984.  One value that is clearly expressed is the individuals’ freedoms stated in the Constitution.  Montag lives in a time when porches are not allowed to be built, there are no churches, kids try to run people over when crossing a street, and books are strictly disallowed.  If someone is found to have a book in his or her possession, not only will the firefighters come and burn the book, but also the house that the books were located in and take the person away (Bradbury 15).  One man was even taken to an asylum for possessing books.  Many people in the story’s plot, in the beginning even Montag himself, were not only careless about the restriction of their liberties, but were actually for what was happening.  This reflects Bradbury’s attitude that people can be brainwashed into thinking whatever it is that the government wants them to think.  It would seem also that Bradbury enjoys life’s simple pleasures including but not limited to quality time.  In Montag’s house, the walls are like a big television. screen and referred to as the “family”.  Montag, unlike his wife, Mildred, is never interested in watching the family but rather is annoyed at how Mildred is always listening to the family or to her seashells and will not even turn the family down to listen to him (Bradbury 23).  One of the characters that finally causes Montag to change his whole perspective of life was Clarisse McClellan.  This teenager is very strange compared to most people.  She is always inquiring about why something happens, she enjoys nature, watching the sun rise, and just thinking.  She makes Montag realize that there is more to life than his every day routine of being a fireman.  One day, Clarisse was catching raindrops in her mouth and after she leaves Montag unconsciously tries to catch raindrops as well (Bradbury 11).  She tells Montag that people drive so fast that they cannot truly appreciate the outdoor scenery.  They can recognize that a green blur is grass, a red blur is a rose, a white blur a house, and a brown blur a cow, but that is all they are able to see while they are racing one hundred miles per hour on the brink of life or death.  This book was written from the third-person perspective.

Bradbury, Ray. Fahrenheit 451. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1967. Print.