Farenheit 451

 

Burning books! Oh, the sound of it makes my stomach churn.

The effect of the lockdown, now in its 5^th month, must surely be getting to me, for this is the second dystopian novel I have read in the last 3 months. Though ‎Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 is not as scary as 1984, it is more believable and more likely to happen.

Imagine a time where people drive like maniacs to take out their frustration, kill each other mercilessly to vent out their anger, are constantly plugged-in to the radio or TV shows, students are fed facts and discouraged from asking questions, the masses are more interested in knowing what than why; a place where you are encouraged to do anything that makes you happy from smashing windows to wrecking cars, except think; a world where the walls inside your homes are made up of full screen TVs than bricks, all houses are fire proofed and firemen burn books!

When a small girl triggers a fireman’s curiosity, he begins to see things in a different light, and this sets the ball rolling. He looks up at the blue sky, wondering how many years back was it that had he last done this, he watches the rain and introspects his life, he slowly starts observing his own actions, past and present. And finally, against the advice of his senior, he begins to question everything around him, despite knowing that doing so will only lead him to the prison. From there on, begins his journey, from an ordinary fireman to an awakened warrior to a wanted fugitive.

In a world where people would rather listen to idiot box than to their loved ones, where Shakespeare and Gandhi are outdated, where people talk ‘nothing’ and hardly listen, what happens to curiosity? Is it dead forever? What about imagination? And thoughts? Without philosophy and sociology, without questions and debates, without discussions and analysis, without books, what is left then of the meaning of life? Are we heading to such a place? These are a few of the zillion questions that boggled my mind while reading this novel, and therein lies its beauty. It makes you think beyond books, beyond words and authors. It makes you ponder on how one mere book, a simple writer’s thoughts and views, is connected to bigger things in life. Without a moment’s rest in an overworked world, how would we enjoy nature’s gifts? Without accounted details of our past, how would we look into the future? And without the different shades of books how would we grow? The author’s ability to make you reflect on not only the big and important questions, but also ordinary ones, is commendable. Where would you read if they were no libraries, no parks, no comfy chairs? With whom would you share your thoughts if no one cared to think or listen anymore? Would books still be as enjoyable?

It took me a while to understand the author’s style of writing. The flow felt abrupt and disjointed at times. You really need to pay close attention to the words to understand their inner meanings, and what the author is trying to say. Most of what makes the protagonist’s world dystopian is implied and it took me 1/3^rd into the book to really understand this. Guy’s frustration, although understandable, feels too sudden. His breakdown and subsequent awakening happen all too quickly, and you are left wondering if some pages got burnt in between. However, now that I have finished the book, I feel the author chose this ambiguous and haphazard style of writing intentionally to make the readers truly feel Guy’s confusion. You are not reading the author’s version of what Guy thinks, you are reading exactly what Guy thinks.

It was at the junction, between part 1 and part 2 of the book, that I realised how easy it is for man to remember his natural instincts. Our quest for knowledge is embedded deep within us. It is not a physical object and hence, though it can be concealed with years of institutional ignorance, it can never be eliminated. And that gave me hope. Hope that one day, someone in our dystopian world, will develop the courage to break the rules. Someone will uncover the ashes to find the fire burning within. And man’s curiosity will overcome his fear of death.

It is true that books can have contradicting opinions, one tells you to love, another tells you to revolt, and yet another tells you to fear. However, this novel made me realise that contradicting opinions are better than losing the prerogative to have an opinion. All in all, this is a book that should be in every avid reader’s reading list, as a reminder to never take these precious gems of literature for granted.