Fahrenheit 451: Final Thoughts

Well I've pretty much beaten the horse that is Fahrenheit 451 into submission so I figure I will write my final analysis of the book here and move on to The Grapes of Wrath. I don't think I'm going to enjoy doing that. Fahrenheit 451 has left me with quite a bit to think about. Really the thing the stuck with me the most in this novel was the timeless message it left the reader with. We live in an age where it is considered normal to not read books and to just prefer watching mindless television or listening to the next shallowly produced pop single from some slutty pop star. The ever-present threat of this novel's reality has not diminished over the years, no indeed it has become even stronger and more prevalent 60 years of being written. To me this idea is incredibly frightening. I don't think that Bradbury ever could have imagined how much of a lasting impression this novel would have on society, but due to his masterful writing skill and ability to portray such a bone-chillingly possible future he succeeded, and I don't think he would be very happy with that. The ever-present threat of literary insignificance is becoming more and more real. How many of the novels being written today will be analyzed as "classics" and have a lasting impression on the up and coming years? To me it seems that the downfall of literature and the increasing prevalence of computers, televisions, and the shallowly produced message of music that not much hope remains for books. I really enjoyed reading Fahrenheit 451 none the less and was amazed at how Orwellian the future that Bradbury painted was. The dystopic setting of the novel was really one of my favorite aspects of the novel as well as the seemingly hysteric demented genius of Captain Beatty, who in my book will go down as one of my favorite villains in literature.