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Montag had been collecting books for over a
year before the story begins. What caused him to suddenly start
reading and questioning?
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Compare the characters of Mildred and Clarisse.
How does each affect Montag? In Francois Truffaut’s film of
Fahrenheit 451, the same actress played both roles. Why
do you think Truffaut did this?
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Clarisse says her uncle remembers a time when
people “used to believe in responsibility.” (F451, p. 30) How
is the absence of personal responsibility evident in the society
of Fahrenheit 451? Do you see this as a problem in our
own society?
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Bradbury describes a sort of virtual reality
with his “parlor walls.” How is this medium used to control
society? What similarities do you see to the media in our own
society? What are the differences?
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Beatty says, “None of those books agree
with each other.” (F451 p. 38) Why does he find this undesirable
and even threatening?
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Beatty describes the way books were gradually
condensed into summaries and sound bites. (F451, p. 54-56) Are
we experiencing a similar “dumbing down” in our culture today?
How important do you think knowledge of the classics is in this
Information Age?
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Beatty explains how books were pared down to
a uniform blandness by numerous special interest groups who
demanded the removal of passages they found offensive to themselves
or their beliefs. (F451, p. 57-60) How is this similar to the
current trend toward “political correctness”? Are there any
instances, such as hate speech, in which you think censorship
is justified?
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The war is constantly in the background of
Fahrenheit 451. Why does the government not inform people
about it? Why are the people content to remain ignorant? Montag
says, “I’ve heard rumors; the world is starving, but we’re well
fed. Is it true, the world works hard and we play? Is that why
we’re hated so much?” (F451, p. 73-74) Does this have any relevance
to our current world situation?
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Faber says, “Remember, the firemen are rarely
necessary. The public itself stopped reading of its own accord.”
(F451, p. 87) Why did they? Do you think there is a danger of
this is happening in our own society? If so, how can it be prevented?
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Why do you think Bradbury chose the poem “Dover
Beach” for Montag to read to Mildred and her friends? (F451,
p. 100) Why do the women react the way they do?
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What does Faber mean by “the terrible tyranny
of the majority”? (F451, p. 108) How has it shaped the society
of Fahrenheit 451?
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Why does Beatty quote to Montag from books
that he has burned? Why would a well-educated, well-read man
despise knowledge? (See p. 169-172 of Bradbury’s Afterword for
more insight on this.)
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Faber says, “It’s not books you need, it’s
some of the things that were once in books. The same things
could be in the ‘parlor families’ today.” (F451, p. 82) Do books
have an inherent value or is it only the knowledge and ideas
contained in them that’s important? Do you think books may someday
disappear altogether? How do you feel about that?
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At the end of the book Granger says, “We’re
remembering. That’s where we’ll win out in the long run.” (F451,
p. 164) What does this mean? What do you think happened after
the story ended?
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