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On October 20, 1953, a new dystopian novel by Ray Bradbury called “Fahrenheit 451” appeared on the shelves of American stores.

The epigraph of this science fiction work states that 451 degrees Fahrenheit is the temperature at which paper ignites.

Bradbury tells us about a hypothetical totalitarian society based solely on consumer thinking and mass culture. All books that have the potential to make people think about life should be burned. Even the possession of literature becomes a real crime, and people capable of critical thinking become criminals. The so-called “firemen” burn all the books they find, along with the houses of their guilty owners (who are also arrested, sometimes sent to a lunatic asylum).

Guy Montag, the main character of the novel, serves as just such a “fireman”. At first, he is confident that he is doing his work solely in the interests of all humanity. But he quickly becomes disillusioned with his initial ideals imposed on him by society, becomes an outcast and goes “out of town”, joining the “marginals” who memorize books in order to preserve knowledge for posterity...

It is noteworthy that this brilliant work of art was written in the Los Angeles public library building on a typewriter that Ray Bradbury rented.

The first edition of the book is also interesting - it was published in several parts in the first issues of Playboy magazine - the photo shows the first issue of 1953, with Marilyn Monroe on the cover -

Bradbury paints us a world where people are losing touch not only with the intellectual heritage accumulated by their ancestors, but also with nature and with each other. They are always running somewhere, not talking about their feelings and thoughts, chatting only about material values... The walls of their houses are picture tubes, allowing them to watch meaningless TV series and TV shows all day long, as well as communicate on an analogue of Skype with family and friends (literally so - putting on headphones! The book, I remind you, was written 60 years ago!)

People's lives are simplified to the limit - it consists entirely of entertainment. Even funerals have been canceled so as not to disturb anyone - people's corpses are cremated in a matter of minutes.

Moreover, all this “stability” is a colossus with feet of clay. All this time, the country is on the verge of a war, which finally begins.

I won’t talk about how the main character of the book understands that another life is possible, so as not to spoil it (as you might guess, there were women involved).

It is noteworthy that “451 degrees...” from its very release became a real victim of censorship. Publishing Ballantine, when publishing the version for secondary schools, changed more than 70 phrases, including Bradbury's favorite curse words, references to abortion; two large fragments of the book were completely rewritten. At the same time, the publisher did not make any notes about editing...

The abridged version of the book ceased publication only in 1980.

In the USSR, the novels were published quite quickly - in 1956. At the same time, despite the negative reviews left, for example, by the magazine “Communist”, the book was published and was available, as it was actively used to criticize the “decaying Western consumer society”...

Although it was in our country that the book people described in the novel existed. In Soviet camps there were prisoners who knew forbidden religious literature and poetry by heart, and who were happy to share information with others. An example of such an expert (in this case, an expert in the Criminal Code) was shown in his recent continuation of “Burnt by the Sun” by Nikita, our light, Mikhalkov -

In fairness, it is worth noting that even before the revolution in our country there was something similar to some episodes of Bradbury’s novel. Thus, the famous Russian writer Vladimir Gilyarovsky in his book “Moscow and Muscovites” (1926) described how the duties of firefighters (!!!) of one of the Moscow units (Sushchevo district) were to burn books prohibited by censorship. A striking coincidence that makes me wonder: hasn’t Ray read Gilyarovsky?

The purely technical side of the novel is also surprising, the prophetic technological genius Bradbury, who in the year of Stalin’s death described such things as:

- a portable radio receiver (of the “Shell” type, which appeared only 26 years later);

- TV models: from portable miniature ones to wall-sized TVs (modern panels that appeared only 15 years ago). At the same time, TVs were not only “in color, but also in volume” (that is, 3D)…

Bradbury's dystopia was not the first of its kind, but, nevertheless, it was able to become a kind of symbol of this genre. It is one of the three most popular dystopias, and any interlocutor who is interested in science fiction will name it among the works he has read. But the book’s popularity did not bring it widespread understanding: few readers delve into the meaning of the novel, unlike the Literaguru team. We will try to understand this text together with you.

About the history of the creation of the novel “Fahrenheit 451,” Ray Bradbury highlights an entire chapter, “Ten-Cent Investments in Fahrenheit 451,” in his work “Zen in the Art of Writing.” The writer is surprised by the enchanting success, calling the work a “penny novel” due to the fact that Bradbury invested 8 dollars and eighty cents when working on the first version of the text in the form of a story called “The Fireman”.

Rereading his work in subsequent years, he became convinced that the characters played new pictures in his head when he “asked them questions.” They are perceived by the writer as beings born in his mind, but he is not able to control their actions. This is how Clarissa disappeared from the pages, having revived the main character Montag’s interest in the contents of the books with her crazy conversations.

Ray Bradbury writes his works with complete passion, forcing himself to work every morning. “In order to learn to write, you must write.” Thus, re-reading the novel after a long time from its publication, he realized that the name of the main character (Montag) is identical to the name of a paper manufacturing company, while Faber, who according to the plot of the book is his ideological supporter, is a brand of a pencil manufacturer.

The novel itself is called Fahrenheit 451. Which is approximately 232 degrees Celsius and marks the temperature at which paper begins to burn. The name is given due to the fact that Montag works as a fireman, on the contrary, that is, he burns books.

The essence

We are just the covers of books, protecting them from damage and dust - nothing more.

The society described in Ray Bradbury's dystopia receives information from the screens of its televisions, which fill all the walls of houses, from the noise of radios, and other distributors of digestible and necessary propaganda for the state. But books that make you think about everything that happens around people and within society are banned in this world. Where they are burned, there is no place for riots and discontent. A society incapable of thinking is easily controlled by the government, which is why, under a totalitarian regime, literature is prohibited by law, making it subject to immediate destruction. But our hero, who, as part of his duty, cleanses his little world with fire, suddenly becomes interested in the forbidden fruit and begins to contribute to the concealment of books. But everything secret becomes the property of vigilant law enforcement officers.

People who have forgotten how to communicate with each other are only able to perceive the information that is presented, without the need to comprehend it. This is exactly the future that awaits us if we continue to exist as a rapidly evolving consumer society.

Genre, direction

The novel is written in the fantasy genre, presenting us with the world of the near future. Dystopia, which should be understood as fiction, which necessarily includes the exposure of negative trends in certain areas of society and the state. The author exposes the vices, showing an exaggerated picture of the future to which this state of affairs will inevitably lead. We wrote in detail and less officially about this genre

Along with this work stands the utopian world of George Orwell “1984” (), as well as the dystopia of Aldous Huxley “Brave New World” ().

The main characters and their characteristics

1. Guy Montag (Montag in some translations)- the main character who works at a fire station of the future. His main task is to respond to emergency calls in cases where books are found in houses to be burned using a special device - a hose. This man is a child of his era; he does not think about the essence of his mission until he comes face to face with several individuals who shake his confidence in the correctness of the political system. He is consistently disappointed in his wife, who is indifferent to everything except her favorite screens, in his service, where he sees only cruelty and blind desires to please his superiors, in his society, where he no longer feels organic. From an apathetic slave of routine, he turns into a conscious and active person, capable of saving age-old wisdom from the hands of barbarians.
2. Clarissa McLellan- a young girl who appeared on the first pages of the novel, who gave impetus to the hero’s interest in books and what is contained in them. Her family was considered abnormal, constantly being suspected of reading. In the evenings, their windows were lit, and one could watch how all the relatives communicated with each other, making loud sounds, which caused terrible bewilderment and irritation among all the neighbors in the area. In the film adaptation of the novel, the heroine was given more time than in the text. She disappears without a trace, and Montag can only wonder where she went. Most likely, she went into the forests where the keepers of book knowledge were hiding.
3. Beatty Brunsmeister- the head of the fire department, the first to suspect the protagonist’s interest in the contents of the books. Author of the famous quote “Keeping books is not a crime. It’s a crime to read them.” Sensing Guy's desire to touch the forbidden, the character teaches his subordinate a lesson, but this does not lead to the desired result. His conversations with Guy are the basis of the plot, because in them the author expresses his ideas.
4. Mildred- an apathetic, insensitive, indifferent wife of the protagonist, who is a complete reflection of the society described by Ray Bradbury. She sits all day on the sofa in a room with screens, hardly speaks, and reacts with caution to books found in her husband’s hands. She betrays him without a twinge of conscience, announcing the discovery.
5. Faber- a friend and like-minded person of Montag, a professor who failed to prevent the adoption of a law banning books. He is initially wary of Guy. When he realizes that the main character is trying to learn the inner world of books, the former English teacher strives to help his interlocutor.

Themes

1. The main theme of the novel is the role of books in human life.. Through utopia, the writer demonstrates a world that can be reality if one refuses to read literature. Books contain the experience of our ancestors, which people should adopt to move forward. Readers ask questions that are unfamiliar to mass consumer society. Therefore, it is dependent on the government and is very vulnerable. For people who are not able to think independently, information is presented from the right angle, which gives the state all the levers for complete control.
2. Family. The author proves the need for communication and promotion of common family interests. Many people become isolated in themselves and their gadgets, ignoring the importance of family ties. This is a direct path to alienation from family and friends, which promises a person loneliness and insecurity. After all, who, if not relatives, can help in difficult times, support and understand? Alas, the hero realized the destructive role of screens in his personal life late, so he lost his beloved woman.
3. Loyalty and betrayal. Those whom Guy trusted betrayed him, obeying what the authorities told them. When propaganda becomes higher than morality, higher than feelings and affections, the personality is destroyed, and in its place appears a submissive and apathetic slave, incapable of emotions and thoughts.
4. Theme of technical progress. We must understand that technology is a means, not the goal of our existence. Society cannot be allowed to value gadgets and virtual reality more than people. In addition, progress should not displace the achievements of past eras; they can coexist with each other, only then will all generations achieve harmony of mutual understanding, which is a guarantee of mutually beneficial exchange of experience.

Issues

1. Conflict between society and individual. Guy Montag comes into conflict with society by reading books instead of destroying them. As a fireman called to destroy them, he becomes a double agent - on missions, instead of destroying literature, he takes some of them home. The hero stands out among the people with whom he is forced to share his life. Like the black sheep Chatsky, he is misunderstood and expelled, considered a criminal for his desire to learn new things and think, while society has forgotten how to think and exist independently.
2. Propaganda and manipulation of society through the media. Television fills all the problems that arose after the ban on literature. The media is becoming an excellent way of manipulation; they have “zombified” the population, remaining the only channel for obtaining any information. However, everything that is shown in screen rooms is presented from an advantageous angle, and the chances of noticing “something wrong” in the information presented are reduced to zero due to the inability to think.
3. The problem of lack of spirituality it is also born due to the lack of books and the abundance of “information fast food” of television screens, which, as a monopoly, participate in the education of the population. Moral values, as a result, are replaced by consumer ones.
4. The problem of historical memory. Literature, which has collected all the discoveries and inventions, everything meaningful and thought out over centuries, is the memory of generations. This is a collection of archives of everything created by man since the advent of writing. In a society where books are banned, the possibility of preserving all this is lost, which becomes the key to complete regression for society.
5. The problem of the loss of traditions and values ​​of past eras. Technological progress that replaces the crisp book in your hand can be beneficial or harmful, depending on how you use this find. But without the alternative that the same literature provides, society cannot judge whether it is managing its capabilities in the right way. Despite the improvement in the quality of the displayed image and the increase in screen diagonals, technology can remain only a beautiful cover for the apotheosis of emptiness.

Meaning

Ray Bradbury's idea is this: without reliance on the experience of past generations, on free and honest art, the future, which is described in the novel Fahrenheit 451, is inevitable. People are increasingly choosing the latter when choosing between a book and an entertaining video; the level of education of the population is falling, due to which mass degradation occurs and an inability to think develops, leading to stagnation in every area of ​​human activity. Instead of finding out for yourself, and at the same time checking, the information that is so conveniently and simply presented on the screens, the viewer is content with a superficial picture of the world, which is carefully packed into 5 minutes of airtime. And if the same viewer himself had found, for example, versatile facts about what was being served to him in a propaganda sauce, then his worldview would have been more objective and richer. In art, which is only one of the sources of information and guardians of culture, those grains of truth have been preserved that could shed light on the true state of affairs. Unfortunately, the author’s gloomy predictions come true in certain countries where the literacy rate is low, but the indicators of bigotry, poverty and aggression are off the charts. People kill each other without even thinking about why this is necessary, if initially all religions had a peaceful message, and all statesmen should lead the people to prosperity.

The writer’s idea is also clear that a person, like Guy Montag, should not be afraid to stand out from the crowd, even if the whole society opposes him. The desire to think and learn something new is a natural need, and in the age of information technology it is completely necessary.

Criticism

Due to its highly social orientation, the novel did not immediately see the light of day. Before this, the novel went through many censorship changes. Thus, he lost numerous swear words before releasing the book for the school publication.

In 1980, the writer noticed that the publishing house was releasing his book in an abridged form, excluding scenes that were unacceptable to them. The writer managed to stop this practice after demanding publication in full.

In Soviet criticism, the range of reviews is varied: from sharply negative reviews to praise and even flattery.

Interesting? Save it on your wall!

In this article you will find a detailed analysis of Ray Bradbury's novel Fahrenheit 451, written in school essay format.

I first read Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451 when I was about 14 years old. Even then, she made an indelible impression on me, and I began to consider this novel one of my favorites.

Genre of the novel and history of creation

Later at school we became acquainted with the dystopian genre. Reading the book “We” by Yevgeny Zamyatin, I involuntarily drew analogies with Bradbury’s novel. When I read George Orwell’s novel “1984,” I realized that the dystopian genre, of course, is characterized by features common to all works in this genre: grotesque, sometimes even absurdity, symbolism, an abundance of metaphors, an element of fantasy.

This book by Bradbury is difficult to classify, because the novel can be called both science fiction (the writer foresaw many of the achievements of science - for example, radio receivers are modern players, TV walls are plasma panels), and dystopia. The work has a socio-philosophical subtext; it was relevant in 1953, when it was published, because Ray Bradbury probably wrote the novel, being impressed by the era of McCarthyism - the era of the “witch hunt”, when the liberal-minded intelligentsia was persecuted and there was censorship.

In the novel, those who think differently from the majority, or rather, those who think and talk to each other at all, are considered crazy. This was probably how it was in reality, in the reality that surrounded the writer at that time, with the only difference that such people were not treated, but their works were outlawed. Bradbury describes the future of America and the whole world, but this future has a certain connection with the present - both the present of 1953 and the present of the 21st century. But more on that later.

It is interesting that the writer created his novel in a public library. I think Ray Bradbury loves libraries and books, because only an author who truly loves books and literature can write about them like that. Also in the book there are a lot of quotes from other sources, from the Bible, books of the Enlightenment, contemporary literature (the novel takes place in the future, so these books are considered old for the heroes).

Images and symbols

The novel is filled with symbols. Fire is the most powerful symbol in the novel. Fire in the hands of a fireman, who symbolizes destruction (as opposed to the common idea of ​​firefighters who put out fires by preserving rather than destroying) is destructive. He destroys books, the last strongholds of creative thought, because paintings in museums have long been replaced by interactive and abstract ones (“Completely abstraction!” exclaims Clarissa in the novel), the same old musical compositions and witticisms “crackle” in cafes...

Main characters, their brief characteristics, interactions and plot

And people have long stopped thinking. They do not think about questions of existence, about fundamental values ​​- their values ​​have long been replaced by material ones. For example, the wife of Montag, the main character, Mildred, is only thinking about how to get another TV wall. She, in connection with the prevailing opinion, believes that this will bring joy to their home, but in fact, even she is unhappy. Although, Mildred does not think about such categories as happiness and unhappiness.

Montag is at first a similar symbol of destruction. Burning is a pleasure for him. But soon he meets Clasissa McLellan, a new neighbor, a lovely 16-year-old girl who will soon turn 17 (and this Clarissa jokingly cites as an argument in favor of her “abnormality”).

Clarissa is not like the other people around the fireman. She tastes the rain, does not like cruelty, notices every little detail of the world around her, loves to communicate with people and even with nature. Clarissa walks leisurely, does not tolerate jet cars and does not make friends with her peers - after all, they consider her antisocial.

Montag and Clarissa appear together on the pages of the novel only at the beginning, but thanks to the girl, the main character begins to change. He gradually realizes that something is wrong. He understands that he does not like the emptiness and ordinariness of life in this society, that he has nothing in common with it; understands that he actually likes to argue, think, read books - which is prohibited!

Next, Montag meets Faber, a professor who reads, thinks, in a word, does not live as he should, and fully supports the ideas of the revolution. The plot in the novel develops rapidly, but Montag changes internally only at the very end. Finally, only when he meets the “book people” around the fire. And here another image of fire appears. The fire from which the phoenix can be reborn - new books will appear, people will again communicate with each other, feel, love each other and the world... A new era.

The main idea of ​​the novel is what the author wanted to tell readers

We can talk endlessly about symbols in the novel. TV walls, a mechanical dog, fire, books, “book people”, bombing of the city and others, others. The most important thing is to use these symbols to understand the main idea. And after reading the novel, I understood it.

Fahrenheit 451 is a cautionary book. Moreover, a warning that is relevant for us, the generation of the 21st century. Nowadays, if you think about it, most people don't talk much to each other. The Internet has appeared, which for some young people replaces real life. The older generation, or rather some of its members, are addicted to television.

Libraries are no longer so relevant... But after reading this book, I was only glad that I still read a lot. Because an e-book, movie or TV show is no substitute for real reading. Just like virtual communication will not replace real one. After all, life is valuable only for the present, the true, for its colors and impressions. The emotions and feelings that people evoke in us. You need to love this world, as the heroine of Bradbury’s work, Clarissa, loved it. And I love this world just like that.

The novel “Fahrenheit 451” was analyzed by dusksun.

This novel is considered one of his most famous works. The novel was published in 1953. The meaning of the book is already in the title: 451 degrees Fahrenheit is the burning temperature of paper. The dystopia tells about the near future of America.

In contact with

According to the author, in the future they will stop reading books, and all production will be aimed only at marketing, selling and “warming” humanity. Even in such an unsightly future, Ray Bradbury was able to dilute the darkness with rays of light in the form of human love and thirst for knowledge.

Ray Bradbury - master of science fiction

This is what this writer is often called. And it’s not surprising: Bradbury wrote most of his stories in the fantasy genre; he laid down many traditions of this genre. The author wrote 11 novels, 21 plays and about 400 short stories.

Bradbury wrote five works in the late 40s, thanks to which, as he said, “451 degrees Fahrenheit” flared up. “Pedestrian”, “Bonfire”, “Radiant Phoenix”, “Esher II”, “Exiles”.

These stories contained observations on the topics of censorship, forbidden reading, the power of personality, and the salvation of art. Later, in 1949, Bradbury, having linked these stories together, wrote the book “Fireman”. Then the editor of the publishing house considered that the book was not sufficiently developed and returned the manuscript for revision.

After a year of painstaking work, Bradbury completed the novel in the form in which we know it now, and called it "451 degrees Fahrenheit". Wikipedia reports that the novel was published in a circulation of 255 thousand books; now you can easily find countless online publications on the Internet. Bradbury became famous, and a book about a dystopian future was included in almost all school literature courses.

According to the plot the main character Guy Montag works as a fireman. In this world they do not put out the fire, but, on the contrary, they start it. Firefighters burn books and their owners because reading is prohibited in the future. The government is doing everything to arrange a massive dullness of humanity - this makes it easier to control people. Guy Montag spent ten years burning books and people who were found with forbidden goods. At the same time, he did not think about whether it was good or bad - until a certain moment.

One day Montag meets a young, dreamy girl named Clarissa McLelland. A fleeting meeting knocks Montag out of his usual rut. Clarissa immediately warns that she is crazy, but this does not push Montag away. To the question “Are you happy?” he doesn't know the answer. This question turns his life upside down.

At home, Montega's wife poisoned herself with pills. She didn’t try to commit suicide, she just took sleeping pills one after another and didn’t notice how she was poisoned. Montag understands that everything in his life happens mechanically, even marriage has turned into a meaningless routine. His wife dreams of a TV wall, the fourth one in their house. This is where her dreams end. She doesn’t want children and is increasingly immersed in the world of series and TV shows.

Montag, thanks to short meetings with Clarissa, breaks out of routine and can no longer burn books with the same impartiality. At the next call, the mistress of the house refuses to leave the house, and she is burned along with her books. Guy Montag does not understand why she died, and the next day he does not go to work - he feels sick and broken. He immediately finds out that Clarissa is no longer there - she was hit by a car.

The chief, Fire Chief Beatty, comes to see the sick fireman.. Judging by the description, he is not a stupid person, but he holds radical views: Beatty reads instructions and talks about consumer society. Books are getting smaller, publications are shrinking. Everything is done so that a person can absorb information. Classic books are remade into a 15-minute show. Beatty inspires that people should be the same, that in the modern world there is no place for individuals. Only then will everyone be happy. A book in such a world is a weapon that absorbs the human mind.
Montag listens, but can no longer stop. Clarissa and the woman who burned in the fire do not let him go. Guy Montag brought books home. When he invites his wife to read it together, she refuses in horror. Trying to find the other owners of the books, Montag comes across another suspect: Professor Faber. Firefighters have been watching him for a long time, and at first Faber speaks to Montag with caution. Then he still talks about his invention: printing. Now any books can be reproduced, albeit in small quantities. Faber gives them a droplet receiver, thanks to which they can communicate at any time. In addition, the receiver will help Faber learn about the work of firefighters from the inside.

When the threat of a third war looms over the country, Faber hopes that after it people will remember the books and decide to return to their roots. Montag is waging his own personal struggle: he shows books not only to his wife, but also to her friends. They can't stand it and report him. While leaving for another call, Montag is surprised to drive up to his own house. Beatty's boss forces him to destroy the books himself. At this point, Beatty discovers a transmitter in Montag's ear. Guy, trying to keep the secret, aims a flamethrower at Beatty and two comrades, and then disappears. A search for him is announced throughout the country, calling him a dangerous criminal.

At the same moment the war begins. The Mechanical Dog, a cold robot killer, is sent after Montag. Montag manages to escape, but the Mechanical Dog kills a random passerby instead. He is passed off as dead Guy to show that no one can get away with it.

According to Faber's promptings, the hero leaves the city and finds a secret society. It turned out that all this time there were people who kept book classics - in their heads. They memorized entire books and then spread the knowledge by reproducing the books directly from their heads. The whole society is looking forward to the end of the war. They believe that when bombs are dropped on the country, humanity will return to where it started. Then people will need books again.

Heroes

Analysis of the novel

The structure and plot of the novel are based on oppositions: light and darkness, vanity and calm.

Sincere and lively Clarissa is contrasted with the dry, static Mildred. The main character's wife even has a face with frozen features. Clarisse's veranda, illuminated by warm light, is completely different from Montag's cold bedroom.

The title of the second chapter is “Peso and Sieve” hints at the impossibility of filling life with meaning. When Montag tries to read the Bible in the subway in this chapter, he cannot make out a word - his entire consciousness is filled with loud music.

At the end of the book, we finally see the bright side of the flame: these are the morning rays of the sun, illuminating a line of people. The educators are led, symbolically, by Montag, who recently burned books.