What does the writing reveal about the author's values and attitudes?
This is sometimes a difficult question to answer about a book. The answer directly reflects how well the author wrote the story. Bradbury wrote this book to get his message across, and he clearly displayed it throughout the entire story. Like some other summer reading books that I have read, such as Brave New World or 1984, the story Fahrenheit 451 tells the story of a futuristic society where books are illegal. The book touches on the idea of censorship and its evils, but I believe that the main focus is on the evils of television.
As silly as it sounds, Bradbury's futuristic society could eventually become a reality. In the 1950's the color t.v. had just made its appearance in homes across America, and it left an impression of newly found life of leisure. Think about how much you rely on t.v. for ideas on fashion, where to eat, who to vote for, or what to do. You could personally make absolutely zero decisions and still live your life normally just by watching t.v. and doing whatever it suggested. And don't get me wrong, those infomercials are just so appealing and really make me want to pay just 2 payments of $9.99, especially since they're doubling my order absolutely free. Bradbury wrote this book before we had Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr, and he would probably break down and cry if he knew how often we looked at the Internet for advice. The Internet is just as bad as television when it comes to telling us what to think and do. Reading books are a way for people to think for themselves. The questions we are answering for our blogs allow us to think and create our own opinions about the stories we read. Without books, a whole part of free thinking is taken away. Bradbury clearly stated his feeling on that topic, but even with his warnings, our society is heading towards the doom in his story.
Bradbury, Ray. Fahrenheit 451. New York: Ballantine, 1953. Print.
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