Setting

Time – Never in the book does the author mention the time period that Fahrenheit 451 takes place in. all that is known is that the characters live in a dystopian-type future. The book itself was published in 1953 so the time period would be any time after that. Who knows, maybe we’re living in the time period right now.

Place – In the novel, the characters live in the United States. Some places in the U.S are named in the book for example, St. Louis is one of the places mentioned. The story never says any specific state or city where the characters live.

Plot

The storyline in Fahrenheit 451 is mostly a thrilling one. The characters (mainly Guy) always have something interesting going on. For example, when Guy meets Clarisse for the first time, they’re having a regular conversation but are also walking outside as pedestrians which is against the law. The plot moves quickly and there are many major events in the book that I do not want to spoil. I’ll just say that it’s very exciting.

The book is written so that there is never a dull moment. Whether it’s when Guy and Clarisse are walking or even when Guy gets sick there is always a sense of uncertainty for the reader because they don’t know what will happen next.

Character Analysis

These are the main characters in the book along with some of my own thoughts about them.

Guy Montag – He starts off as a regular citizen; completely ignorant from the fact that the world used to be completely different. As the story progresses, he becomes more aware of what the world has come to and has many of his own realizations about how he living his life and his own happiness.

Mildred (Millie) Montag – Is a character who is always preoccupied in her own personal world. She pays no attention to the world around her and instead gets lost in the world of television with her on-screen “family”. She is described as preoccupied and forgetful.

Clarisse McClellan – A 17 year old girl who everyone calls strange because of her curiosity and her weird habits of walking outside while observing nature and thinking about the past. She provokes Guy’s thought about his own life and how he’s living it. Not like all the brainwashed robots that live in this futuristic world

Professor Faber – An old retired English professor who Guy met about a year before the book starts. He helps Montag start his rebellion against society. He is more of an introverted character who avoids confrontation and refers to himself as a queen bee who stays safe in the hive while the workers go out into the unknown.

Granger – One of the “Hobos” Montag meets during his run from the law. He is a very polite and well-educated man who shares some of the same values about books and society as Montag. He is the leader of a group of book people who all memorize certain works of literature so that they never die out.

Guy Montag from the Fahrenheit 451 movie (1966)

Personal Review

On my 16^th birthday, I got Fahrenheit 451 from my uncle. He said that he read it when he was younger and that I might also like it. For a little over a year I had tried to make time to read the book without success. When I got the ISU assignment, I thought it was the perfect time to finally read the book from start to finish. I personally think that Fahrenheit 451 is a great book to read. It has a thrilling plot. The story always keeps you interested and has a few surprises. The book also has a great protagonist. Guy Montag is a relatable character he often (after meeting Clarisse) questions his life and how the world used to be. Fahrenheit 451 also has a pretty real warning to the world about the future of technology. The way that the book is written is also interesting. Instead of breaking it up into chapters, author Ray Bradbury composed the book out of three connecting short stories. The parts are named for important parts in the story. For example, the section called The Hearth and the Salamander mentions a hearth (fireplace) and a firetruck that is called a Salamander. I enjoyed this book and recommend it to anyone who wants to read it.