Farenheit 451: A 'Mostly' Decent Read
Reading Farenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury almost immediately reminded me of Orwell's novel, 1984. The reader of today is probably already familiar with the plot or at least the archetype of the plot. So let me give a small (mostly spoiler free) synopsis of the book.
The Plot
We have the fireman, Guy Montag living in a dystopian future where the job of a fireman is to torch the source of all chaos in the world, books. His life changes when he does the forbidden act of reading the books he was supposed to burn. Followed by desperate efforts to find the meaning behind books and the 'why' of things, he lands up in a deeper rabbit hole which may threaten his freedom and even his life in a seemingly utopian world of ignorant happiness.
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More than the novel 1984, the book reminds me of a film that I had watched, Equilibrium (2002). Here, instead of a fireman we got a law enforcer 'cleric' whose job is to infiltrate and execute sense offenders (people who don't take mandatory sense suppressing drugs and protect pieces of art). A pretty interesting film with great actors and direction, watch if you are too lazy to read!
The novel does contain a pretty interesting subject and it presents itself precisely. Me being a fast and occasionally a careless reader could easily grasp what was happening. The novel does not waste any time or words to overtly indulge itself in a particular event or a scene. It has a message and gets right to buisness. As for characters, I strongly feel that they do stand detached from the reader. Almost all characters except the protagonist are flat and work almost mechanically. Again comparing the two characters from Farenheit 451 and 1984, Winston Smith easily beats Guy Montag in terms of character depth.
As for plot, yes there is a lingering suspense of whether Guy will get caught for his crimes, but the world of Guy seems more of a slap in the wrist compared to Oceania in 1984.
However the following would be the element of the book which makes me question the position that it is placed in the literary canon. The book only feels like a first draft of a better text that is yet to be published. Oftentimes several scenes appear to be unpolished where you may observe the writer's persona himself dictating the reader of what they should think. It does not feel impersonal. While most of us share the frustration of the author with technology, authority and the loss of meaningful art, I do object the way the novel tries to share it with us, where it feels forced.
I do agree that my review is biased since I greatly lean towards the works of George Orwell. However even after giving the novel points for novelty and straightforwardness, it does feel like a lesser version of the former in terms of depth and the way it chooses to convey a message. Obviously understanding and surviving in an increasingly authoritative dystopian world is something that needs to be talked about today. However such a delicate subject requires the reader to think for themselves given the facts and requires intricate worldbuilding that paces itself slowly giving subtle hints instead of being forced to accept the author's sermons.
In short, if you read Orwell, stick to it! If you haven't and want a somewhat easy start to the genre, Farenheit 451 can give you a decent start.
Do feel free to respond to my review, let me know if the book deserves a bit more love for reasons which I may have overlooked!
Until next time dear reader
Alan
The Plot
We have the fireman, Guy Montag living in a dystopian future where the job of a fireman is to torch the source of all chaos in the world, books. His life changes when he does the forbidden act of reading the books he was supposed to burn. Followed by desperate efforts to find the meaning behind books and the 'why' of things, he lands up in a deeper rabbit hole which may threaten his freedom and even his life in a seemingly utopian world of ignorant happiness.
---------------
More than the novel 1984, the book reminds me of a film that I had watched, Equilibrium (2002). Here, instead of a fireman we got a law enforcer 'cleric' whose job is to infiltrate and execute sense offenders (people who don't take mandatory sense suppressing drugs and protect pieces of art). A pretty interesting film with great actors and direction, watch if you are too lazy to read!
The novel does contain a pretty interesting subject and it presents itself precisely. Me being a fast and occasionally a careless reader could easily grasp what was happening. The novel does not waste any time or words to overtly indulge itself in a particular event or a scene. It has a message and gets right to buisness. As for characters, I strongly feel that they do stand detached from the reader. Almost all characters except the protagonist are flat and work almost mechanically. Again comparing the two characters from Farenheit 451 and 1984, Winston Smith easily beats Guy Montag in terms of character depth.
As for plot, yes there is a lingering suspense of whether Guy will get caught for his crimes, but the world of Guy seems more of a slap in the wrist compared to Oceania in 1984.
However the following would be the element of the book which makes me question the position that it is placed in the literary canon. The book only feels like a first draft of a better text that is yet to be published. Oftentimes several scenes appear to be unpolished where you may observe the writer's persona himself dictating the reader of what they should think. It does not feel impersonal. While most of us share the frustration of the author with technology, authority and the loss of meaningful art, I do object the way the novel tries to share it with us, where it feels forced.
I do agree that my review is biased since I greatly lean towards the works of George Orwell. However even after giving the novel points for novelty and straightforwardness, it does feel like a lesser version of the former in terms of depth and the way it chooses to convey a message. Obviously understanding and surviving in an increasingly authoritative dystopian world is something that needs to be talked about today. However such a delicate subject requires the reader to think for themselves given the facts and requires intricate worldbuilding that paces itself slowly giving subtle hints instead of being forced to accept the author's sermons.
In short, if you read Orwell, stick to it! If you haven't and want a somewhat easy start to the genre, Farenheit 451 can give you a decent start.
Do feel free to respond to my review, let me know if the book deserves a bit more love for reasons which I may have overlooked!
Until next time dear reader
Alan
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