Fahrenheit 451 is currently Bradbury’s most famous written work of social criticism. It deals with serious problems of control of the masses by the media, the banning of books, and the suppression of the mind (with censorship). The novel examines a few pivotal days of a man’s life, a man who is a burner of books and, therefore, an instrument of suppression. This man (Montag) lives in a world where the past has been destroyed by kerosene-spewing hoses and government brainwashing methods. In a few short days, this man is transformed from a narrow-minded and prejudiced conformist into a dynamic individual committed to social change and to a life of saving books rather than destroying them.
Before you begin the novel, note the significance of the title, 451 degrees Fahrenheit, “the temperature at which book paper catches fire, and burns.” Also note the epigram by Juan Ramon Jimenez: “If they give you ruled paper, write the other way.” Jimenez (1881–1958) was a Spanish poet who won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1956 and was largely responsible for introducing Modernism into Spanish poetry. The implications of both concepts—one, a simple fact, and the other, a challenge to authority—gain immense significance by the conclusion of the book.
In the first part of Fahrenheit 451, Bradbury uses machine imagery to construct the setting and environment of the book. He introduces Guy Montag, a pyromaniac who took “special pleasure to see things eaten, to see things blackened and changed.” He burns books that he hasn’t read or even questioned in order to ensure conformity and happiness. Montag has a smile permanently etched on his face; he does not think of the present, the past, or the future. According to his government’s views, the only emotion Montag should feel, besides destructive fury, is happiness. He views himself in the mirror after a night of burning and finds himself grinning, and he thinks that all firemen must look like white men masquerading as minstrels, grinning behind their “burnt-corked” masks.
Later, as Montag goes to sleep, he realizes that his smile still grips his face muscles, even in the dark. The language —“fiery smile still gripped by his face muscles”—suggests that his smile is artificial and forced. Soon he will understand that this small bit of truth is an immense truth for himself. At present, Montag seems to enjoy his job as a fireman. He is a “smiling fireman.” However, this smile and the later realization of its artificiality foreshadow Montag’s eventual dissatisfaction not only with his job but also with his life. Montag smiles, but he is not happy. The smile, just like his “burnt-corked” face, is a mask.
You discover almost immediately (when Montag meets Clarisse McClellan) that he is not happy. By comparing and contrasting the two characters, you can see that Bradbury portrays Clarisse as spontaneous and naturally curious; Montag is insincere and jaded. Clarisse has no rigid daily schedule: Montag is a creature of habit. She speaks to him of the beauties of life, the man in the moon, the early morning dew, and the enjoyment she receives from smelling and looking at things. Montag, however, has never concerned himself with such “insignificant” matters.
