Connor Leach / Edge Columnist
Imagine a society where books are illegal, and just possessing one can actually result in it being burned. This is Fahrenheit 451, a dystopian novel by Ray Bradbury, published in 1953, and is a timeless novel that is recognized as one of the best pieces of literature of the 20th century.
The protagonist of the novel is Guy Montag, 30 years old, is a fireman whose job is to actually start fires, instead of putting them out. When he and his colleagues get the report that there’s illegal books, it is their job is to burn the books along with the house they are in.
People belong to their homes, their television and their radio. When Montag meets seventeen-year-old Clarisse McClellan, she shows him life outside the television and radio. But when things seem normal, Montag’s wife Mildred attempts suicide, McClellan gets killed, and Montag gets a deeper look behind society’s reasons.
In today’s day and age, there is a resemblance between Fahrenheit 451 and the present. Today, books and literature are on a decline, and this can be because of the rise of easier access to information with tv, phones, computers, etc. Today, there is a rise in censorship in the media and government, which has a relation to the book because, the media starts to only report on specific information due to sensitivity of the public.
But if Dystopian novels are your interest, Fahrenheit 451 is the book for you and should not be skipped in the dystopian genre.