by Heather Bellingham

Created on: April 19, 2010

Many dystopias contain intertextual references to other works of fiction, for instance Shakespeare’s plays, or to classical myths. However, Ray Bradbury’s 1953 novel Fahrenheit 451 is specifically about the banishment of literature and the affect that banishment has on their society. Fahrenheit 451 contributes to the dystopian literary tradition because it is a consideration of the loss of and relevance of itself. It is a social dystopia about the regulation of the expansion of human thought. In the study of literature, especially at the university level, this particular type of thought is encouraged. Considering the banishment of this from the perspective of an English student would allow for thought regarding what we, as students are being allowed to do and the relevance of it. Therefore, it is worth studying in a class on dystopian fiction.   

Fahrenheit 451 is about a “fireman” named Guy Montag. In the world of the novel, however, firemen actually start fires – by burning outlawed books. Critical and potentially dissenting thought are outlawed, therefore any books that could cause these things are banned. Instead, they are given mindless entertainment on television screens that cover the entire walls of their homes. The reasoning for this is given as follows:

“Give the people contests they win by remembering the words to more popular songs or the names of state capitals or how much corn Iowa grew last year. Cram them full of noncombustible data, chock them so damned full of ‘facts’ they feel stuffed, but absolutely ‘brilliant’ with information. Then they’ll feel they’re thinking, they’ll get a sense of motion without moving. And they’ll be happy, because facts of that sort don’t change. Don’t give them the slippery stuff like philosophy or sociology to tie things up with. That way likes melancholy.”

After a woman refuses to part with her books and is burned along with them, Montag becomes increasingly curious as to what is in books that would make that woman make that choice:

“There must be something in books, things we can’t imagine, to make a woman stay in a burning house; there must be something there. You don’t stay for nothing.”

He decides to steal a book and becomes increasingly obsessed with literature, hiding books in his home. His wife, Mildred, reports him and he flees and joins a renegade group of readers

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