Fahrenheit 451

     This essay belongs to very beginning of my university life so it seems now so simple and basic but, doesn't matter. Still it may be helpful. Includes a brief summary and analysis.

FAHRENHEIT  451

 

 

      The main character of the novel is Guy Montag. He is a fireman and his job is burning books. Montag wears a uniform  and there is 451 on it. These numbers  show the degree of books’ burning. One day Montag meets with a young girl, her name is Clarisse and she is seventeen years. Clarisse has white skin, happy eyes and she wears a white dress  with flowers on it. She is a different girl according to Montag. Clarisse is Montag’s neighboor and she wants to talk with Montag. She asks some questions to Montag. She is an inquiring girl and she wants to learn something about Montag’s life. Clarisse asks “ Are you happy?” to Montag. He says “ Yes, ı am happy”. And she asks again “ Have you ever read the books?” Montag tells him reading books is forbidden so I have not read any book. And Montag starts to think that am I really happy or not. He is not happy, exactly.

 

   Montag lives with his wife. Her name is Mildred and she is a normal woman according to her country. Every day Montag comes home after he finished his job and he changes his clothes and he starts watching Tv with Mildred. Tv is most important thing in Mildred’s life sometimes she joins conversation on Tv. She never loses tv programs and she is addicted to tv like an illness. There is no emotion between Montag and Mildred. Everything is routine in their lives. They are like machine, work, eat and watch tv that’s all. One day when Montag comes to home he sees Mildred lies down on the floor. Montag calls emergency service and people come who working for emergency service. They change Mildred’s blood with a machine, next morning Mildred wakes up and she cannot remember anything. Montag asks something but she cannot remember, just she is so hungry.

 

  One day fire station takes an alarm from an old woman's house. Montag and his workmates go to there and they find many books. They want to burn books but old woman does not leave her house and books. Finally, firemen burn books and house but the woman is still there. And Montag steals a book and he saves the book in the air condition of his bathroom. When Mildred is sleeping Montag takes book and starts reading but Montag does not understand anything. Because he have not read any book before. Montag wants to ask to Clarisse but the girl dies in a car accident. Montag is so sad and feels very upset. One day, Captain Beatty comes Montag’s house who is the leader of the fire station and Montag  asks something to her. Beatty talks about burning books. The goverment did not make forbidden reading books, says Beatty. Firstly, people gave up reading books and we changed our job and started to this that is the real reason of burning books. Montag wants to learn meaning of what he reads. But Clarisse is not alive and Montag finds other person; Mr. Faber, he meets with him in a park and he is a professor of literature. Montag says to him what he wants to learn but Faber worries because reading books against and forbidden in their country.

 

  Lastly, Faber agrees to Montag’s ideas and he starts teaching him. Montag thinks, reads and improves himself. One day fire station takes an alarm from Montag’s house. Mildred calls them and firemen come  to the house but Montag escapes from them and he goes to Faber. Montag escapes with a ship on the lake with Faber. They find a group people, they have many books and every person reads a book, keeps his/her mind, memorizes them and burns them. That is their way. At last, Montag joins them.

 

ANALYSIS

 

    The author criticizes society who does not read books. In the story, people pretend to be happy but actually nobody is happy, because everything has routine in their lives and there is no emotion. All people are moitonless, passive and numb. People do what the television says to them and live according to tv. Nobody reads books and thinks anything. They have interesting relations with their parents and companions. Mothers wash childrens clothes, eating food but if children want to kiss them, they kick their own children. For other instance, Mildred is ill but Montag does not feel anything. There is no love between them. Because of watching tv too much. Nobody is architecture of his/ her own life. All lives are same in the story. Writer wants to show us, if people give up reading they can be numb people like in this story. To sum up, the novel tells us importance of reading and thinking. According to the story and in my opinion, people cannot think anything and cannot find meaning of their lives. If people do not read any book, they cannot develop theirselves and they can be moitonless, passive and unhappy people.

 

    Technology is one of the main reasons. Technology develops but people give up reading. To me, finally mankind can be condemned to ignorance. And this book must be a bedside book.