451° F

My biggest fear would be someone coming into my house and burn the very limited but selected collection of books I have. That would be my worst imaginable nightmare. Ray Bradbury's dystopian novel Fahrenheit 451 made me realize the future he predicted can come true very soon. Fireman, Guy Montag, lives in a world where technology has taken over human interactions, the small but meaningful everyday chats, the unadulterated laughter, and sharing one's perception has been long forgotten. People don't go discussing books, literature, philosophical whims, and arguments. In fact, collecting or reading books is beyond one's dream, and if someone is found to have any of them then the whole damn place is burned down. Literature seems to be on the brink of extinction, and the firemen have been ordered to start fires rather than put them out. Works of literature are illegal possessions: printed books, magazines, newspapers, any of those sorts. Uniquely, houses don't get burned; fire-proof you see! Interesting fact, paper catch fire and burns at 451 Fahrenheit, hence the name!

Montag never questioned his rationale for his iterative, for burning books, sometimes with a human in the house. But his world topples like dominoes when he meets a 17-year-old esoteric and astonishing girl, Clarissa. In his words, "She didn't want to know how a thing was done, but why." What an insipid thought, albeit it left a mark on his consciousness. Circumstances lead him to be morally indignant and take on a risky quest to save works whichever land on his way. It reflects the perseverance, courage, and one's conscience to endeavor what is needed rightfully. The overall theme I found in his novel revolves around how modern people are being distracted by superficial matters and find happiness in television whom they call their families. It is so heartbreaking to know that in the future, the lawns and gardens and porches are out of bounds because they nourish communication, relationships, knowledge, and human interaction, thus leading to broadening horizons and expanding individual thoughts. All the censorship nips the concept of idea creations, which have ultimately made the human race unhappy, shallow and so automatic.

With everyone glued to tabloids, laptops, and oh-so-multifunctional phones because of the technological advancements, we can't really deny his fact that people can/will forget about the physical existence of books. The interaction between people means so much for me personally. I am an old-school; I love the touch of books, the musty smell it has, the sound of turning the pages, oh! Does anyone smell of nutmeg and cinnamon while they flip over the pages? The context of the novel does intrigue me and gives me horror, but it is definitely not weird. The protagonist's emotional and moral journey, the rise of a strong and determined character demands us to think about the actions we perform for just the sake of duty. It questions our shallow thoughts and behavior. Guy, a jovial and gleeful person, burned books with pleasure, but is now willing to risk all that is dear to him; his marriage, friendship, career, house, and in due course, even his life for the sake of books. His change in mind, heart, and dogma is extremely compelling and thought-provoking. Just how many people you come across who questions their long-held belief and work ethics and just in a snap of a finger you can challenge them and go as far as you can to prove it was completely wrong?

I want to quote another line from the novel that left me hanging.

... We need not be let alone. We need to be really bothered once in a while. How long is it since you were really bothered? About something important, about something real?