Essay: Why "Fahrenheit 451" willalways be terrifying

"Fahrenheit 451" is about a future in which books, and their ideas, are not allowed. Photo from RA.AZ/Flickr

Dystopian science fiction specializes in creating nightmarish visions of future societies. There's a

reason the genre is so popular — people regard the future with suspicion. The common wisdom

is that while the past was pretty good, the present is barely endurable and the future will be

hellish.

Every few years, political developments cause an uptick in attention being paid to classic

dystopian novels. The 2016 U.S. presidential elections pushed George Orwell's classic "1984"

back onto the bestseller lists.

By Jeffrey Somers, ThoughtCo.com, adapted by Newsela staff on 11.15.17

Word Count 938

Level 1200L

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The trend continues: Recently, HBO announced a film adaptation of Ray Bradbury's classic 1953

science fiction novel "Fahrenheit 451." If it seems surprising that a book published more than 60

years ago might still be terrifying for modern audiences, you probably just have not read the novel

recently. "Fahrenheit 451" is one of those rare sci-fi novels that ages wonderfully — and remains

just as terrifying today as it seemed in the middle of the 20th century.

More Than Books

The basic premise of "Fahrenheit 451" is as follows. In the future, houses are largely fireproof and

firefighters have been re-purposed as enforcers of laws that prohibit the ownership and reading of

books. They burn the possessions and books of anyone caught with books. The main character,

Montag, is a fireman who begins to question the illiterate, entertainment-obsessed and shallow

society he lives in, and who begins stealing books from those homes.

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This plot is often boiled down to a critique of book burning — which still happens — or an attack

on censorship. After all, people are still fighting to have books banned from schools for a variety of

reasons, and even "Fahrenheit 451" itself was partially censored by its publisher for decades: An

edited "school version" of the book removed the profanity and changed several concepts to less

alarming forms. When Bradbury discovered what had been happening to his novel, he made such

a fuss the publisher re-issued the original in the 1980s.

However, the key to appreciating the terrifying nature of the novel is that it isn't just about books.

What Bradbury was really writing about was the effect he thought mass media like television and

film (and these days, the Internet) would have on us over time: He feared they would shorten our

attention spans and train us to seek constant thrills and instant gratification. The result would be a

population that had lost not just its interest in seeking the truth, but its ability to do so.

Fake News

In this new age of "fake news" and Internet conspiracy, "Fahrenheit 451" is more chilling than

ever. What we are seeing is Bradbury's terrifying vision of the future playing out — just more

slowly than he imagined it would happen.

In the novel, the sequence of events leading to the dystopian world of "Fahrenheit 451" is

explained this way: First, television and sports shortened attention spans, and then books began

to be shortened to accommodate those shorter attention spans. At the same time, small groups of

people complained about language and concepts in books that were now deemed offensive.

Soon, the firefighters were assigned to destroy books to protect people from concepts they would

be troubled by.

Things are certainly nowhere near that bad right now — and yet, the seeds are clearly there.

Attention spans are shorter, and abridged versions of novels do exist. Film and television editing

have become incredibly fast-paced. Many of us now need stories to be constantly exciting for

them to keep our attention, while slower, more thoughtful stories seem boring.

The Whole Point

That is the reason "Fahrenheit 451" is terrifying, and will remain terrifying for the foreseeable

future. Fundamentally, the story is about a society that voluntarily and even eagerly brings about

its own destruction. When Montag tries to confront his wife and friends with thoughtful discussion,

when he tries to turn off the TV programs and make them think, they become angry and confused.

Montag soon realizes that they are beyond help — they do not want to think and understand.

Instead, they prefer to live in a bubble. Book burning began when people chose not to be

challenged by thoughts they didn't find comforting, thoughts that challenged their preconceptions.

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We can see those bubbles everywhere around us today. We all know people who only get their

information from limited sources that largely confirm what they already think. Attempts to ban or

censor books are still strongly resisted, but on social media, such as Facebook or Twitter, you

can witness people's hostile reactions to stories they don't like. You can see how people narrow

their sources of information to protect themselves from anything scary or challenging.

Which means that the seeds of "Fahrenheit 451" are already here. That does not mean it will

come to pass, of course — but that's why it's still a frightening book. The novel goes far beyond

the idea of firemen burning books to destroy knowledge. It is a frighteningly accurate analysis of

how our society could collapse without a single shot being fired. Bradbury's novel is a dark mirror

of our modern age, in which unchallenging entertainment is available to us at all times, on devices

we carry with us at all times, ready and waiting to drown out any input we don't want to hear.

HBO's adaptation of "Fahrenheit 451" is expected to air in 2018, so it is the perfect time to re-

introduce yourself to the novel — or to read it for the first time. In fact, it is always a perfect time to

read this book, which is one of the most frightening things you could possibly say.

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Quiz

1 Which of these sentences from the article BEST develops a central idea of the article?

(A) Every few years, political developments cause an uptick in attention being paid to

classic dystopian novels.

(B) This plot is often boiled down to a critique of book-burning — which still happens

— or an attack on censorship.

(C) In this new age of "fake news" and Internet conspiracy, "Fahrenheit 451" is more

chilling than ever.

(D) HBO's adaptation of "Fahrenheit 451" is expected to air in 2018, so it is the perfect

time to re-introduce yourself to the novel — or to read it for the first time.

2 Which statement would be MOST important to include in an accurate and objective summary of the

article?

(A) Ray Bradbury's "Fahrenheit 451" is a classic dystopian novel that deserves to be

made into a movie.

(B) Ray Bradbury was furious when his publisher was forced to censor parts of

"Fahrenheit 451."

(C) "Fahrenheit 451" is about a society that has outlawed books and has firemen

destroy any that are found.

(D) A school version of "Fahrenheit 451" made it easier for students to fully

comprehend the novel.

3 Which answer choice BEST explains how the section "Fake News" helps develop the article?

(A) It explains how "fake news" and Internet conspiracy are affecting our future.

(B) It outlines the events that occur in the world of "Fahrenheit 451" in chronological

order.

(C) It makes a connection between events in "Fahrenheit 451" and events that are

occurring today.

(D) It explains why the vision of the future described in "Fahrenheit 451" is so

terrifying.

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4 Read the sentences from the introduction and the final section of the article.

If it seems surprising that a book published more than 60 years agomight still be terrifying for modern audiences, you probably just have notread the novel recently. In fact, it is always a perfect time to read this book, which is one of themost frightening things you could possibly say.

How does the relationship between the two sentences develop the MAIN idea of the article?

(A) Both echo the notion that the frightening events that occurred in the novel could

happen today.

(B) Both attempt to persuade the reader that the events in the novel are terrifying.

(C) Both are an attempt to convince the reader that the novel is worthy of reading.

(D) Both reinforce the notion that little has changed since the time the novel was

written.

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