Bradbury builds a compelling backdrop for the story, filled with strange, beautifully drawn characters who push and pull Montag in different directions, from his young, fey neighbour Clarisse to the distant figure of his wife Mildred who’s more engaged with her TV shows than the world around her. It’s a simple, elegant setup for the story – the man on the inside realises he’s conforming without questioning anything, and starts to push against the rules of his world. When fireman Guy Montag starts to question the views and values of his world, he begins to see everything he knows in a different light – his neighbours and colleagues, his blissed-out wife, and even his job. In a world where ignorance is aspirational, the role of the ‘fireman’ is to seek out and burn books – considered to be the source of unhappiness, they’ve long been banned and only a few remain, hidden away in attics and back rooms. A bona fide dystopian classic, Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 was published 63 years ago but remains worryingly relevant to this day.
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