What universal themes does this book address? What does the author understand about human nature? Fahrenheit 451 was first published in 1953 and is a futuristic novel. Scarily enough, it is probably one of the most true futuristic novels ever written. The book is obviously exaggerated and extreme compared to today's society, but the television aspect of it is almost dead on. Fahrenheit 451 discusses the nature of thoughtless people and mindless televisions programs. When is was written the first televisions were being made so Ray Bradbury was a very smart man! He could see that nothing would ever be the same again. Television made everything easier. Getting the news was easier, hearing new music was easier, and you did not have to wait until Sunday more to get your favorite comics anymore. Things came to life in a box in your home at any time that you wanted it! Today's society is even worse with television. Not necessarily as bad as in the novel but you probably get what I am saying. Now we have reality t.v. shows which showcase hours and hours of mindless and senseless thoughts and acts for people to view and record! Now, I am going to admit that I do watch Keeping Up with the Kardashians, but if you can recognize what is real and what is just for show I think it is alright to watch it sometimes. I do not think a child should be watching this particular reality show not only because of the more mature subject matter, but because I believe you should form your own thoughts and opinions on the world before watching a show like that. If you did not have much knowledge about the world yet then you would think that everything they are saying is true and that you should buy all of their products and follow their examples. Even though I hope our world never becomes as extreme as the one we read about in this book, Ray Bradbury did an excellent job describing what life will start to become in the near future.
Bradbury, Ray. Fahrenheit 451. New York: Del Rey Books, 1991. Print.
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