Fahrenheit 451 Review
...As he watches the technicians perform their seventh stomach pump of the night, he realizes that Mildred is a stranger to him, he can’t even remember where the two first met. The next day, the call takes them to an old woman whose attic is full of books, the woman shocks him by choosing to be burned alive along with her books. Montag's dissatisfaction with his life increases, and he begins to search for a solution in a stash of books that he has stolen and seeks help from Faber, a former English professor and old acquaintance. He gains the man’s trust, and together they plan to undermine the entire system of firemen. Soon after, Montag and his fire crew pull up in front of his own house. Fahrenheit 451 is bold indictment of censorship. There is no symbol of repression more powerful than the burning of books. What’s frightening is how little would have to change for our society to resemble that of Montag’s. The citizens in the story are not evil, they are simply short sighted. They believe what they are told, never thinking to question. They like their TV, and their television has shaped them by becoming more exciting, and basically more content-free. Cars are fast, life is easy and everyone is happy, at least they all think they are happy, sublimating their misery until it leaks out in “accidental” suicide attempts. Books are simply opposing progress and comfort. Fahrenheit 451 serves as a warning that any society can forget the importance of ideas, succumbing to comfort without realizing what they are losing. There was only one part, which I feel that I have to complain about. During one passage, Montag is riding the subway with the Bible on his way to meet Faber. There seemed to be two things going on at once, althoug...