In Fahrenheit 451, Bradbury writes about one of my ideas of hell. A world with no books. In this society books are banned, and burned on discovery. The tragedy is, that the situation is the result of people's enthrallment with the media, and indifference to just about everything. It is not a scheme by an evil government out to suppress the people.
This book is generally thought to be about censorship. There certainly are parts of the book that could be viewed as a commentary about that. For me, it seemed more a commentary on people. People want to feel happy, which is not a bad thing. It is how they go about it that causes problems. In Fahrenheit 451 to achieve happiness people distract themselves with various things such as: television covering all the walls in a room, seashells(for us ipods), and fast driving(the minimum speed is 55mph). Anything that can occupy your thoughts without having to truly think. People equate not being troubled with happiness.
Characters in the book stop reading because it makes them unhappy. If they read they learn about inequality, hardships, and unjust government. They realize their lives aren't perfect. Some are offended by what they read, while others are offended because they don't understand what they are reading. The solution? Stop reading. The government takes advantage of the lack of thought to do what they will.
This was my first time reading this book. The style of writing takes some getting used to, but it is a quick read. I think everyone should read it at least once. It is a reminder to think about what is happening in your life. A reminder to stay involved.
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