Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
Name: __________________________
English I and English I Honors
Historical Context: "EXPLORING Novels. Detroit: Gale, 2003. Student Resource Center Gold. Gale. Irondequoit High School. 10 Mar. 2008 <http://find.galenet.com/ips/start.do?prodId=IPS>.
Book Burnings
Bradbury had a number of recent historical events on which to base Fahrenheit 451 when he wrote the
book in the early 1950s. The book burnings of the Nazi regime in Germany during the 1930s had been
widely shown after World War II. These book burnings became a major symbol of the repression that
followed in Nazi Germany. The importance of books and the freedom to read them was a central
concern of liberal-minded people during the 1950s. As the Senate hearings of Joseph McCarthy began to
focus on writers and film makers, the question of artistic freedom troubled many people and became the
subject of debate. It was within this context of artistic repression that Bradbury expanded his story "The
Fireman" into a full length novel. The fact that the book was reprinted forty-eight times over a twentyfive year period after its publication is indicative of the fact that Bradbury hit a vital nerve center of
public consciousness. Unlike many of the characters in Fahrenheit 451, the American reading public
ultimately rejected the idea of thought control that was present during the McCarthy hearings.
Censorship
While Americans are guaranteed free speech and free press in the Bill of Rights to the Constitution, a
history of censorship has nevertheless existed in this country. Censorship was at times allowed and even
enforced by the United States government. In the early years of film making, censorship was allowed on
the grounds that movies were entertainment and not an expression of free speech. Senator Joseph
McCarthy's hearings into the political background of artists led to the "blackballing" of several
prominent Hollywood writers during the 1950s. While the Supreme Court decision allowing censorship
of films was overturned in 1952, strict regulation of film content persisted into the 1960s. Today, the
attempt to censor artistic products comes mainly from organized pressure groups. Ironically, Bradbury's
publishers, unknown to him, bowdlerized Fahrenheit 451 —that is, "cleaned up" or deleted some of the
language that Bradbury used—in order to make the book saleable to the high school market. Since the
advent of films, television, and the internet, efforts to limit access by children to certain types of material
in these media has persisted to this day. The general method has been to have producers of these media
rate the programs and place the burden of responsibility on parents to censor what children see in the
movies, watch on television, or have access to on computers.
Political Repression and Conformity
Besides the repression that took place during the Nazi regime in Germany during the 1930s and 1940s,
similar political repression and dictatorship had been taking place in the Soviet Union. After World War
II, Western Europe and the United States entered into what has been called the Cold War—a struggle
pitting the ideals of democracy and communism against each other—with the Soviet Union. Frequent
reports of Soviet repression of writers and censorship of books were in the news. In his dystopian novel
1984, George Orwell had satirized what he called "big brother," a government figure who was always
watching the public. Orwell also used two-way television to illustrate how the new technology could be
used against the public. Bradbury presents television in Fahrenheit 451 as a drug that stupefies its
viewers. Much of the pressure to conform in the United States during the Cold War was derived from
the holdover of a wartime psychology that was strong during World War II. The mobilization during the
war spilled over into the postwar era. As the United States and Europe went through a period of
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
rebuilding domestic markets, the Cold War also stimulated a military economy. Opportunities for
advancement abounded. Jobs were plentiful and people were encouraged to "work hard and get ahead."
The image of the "organization man" was prevalent. If you "followed orders, you would succeed" was
the conventional wisdom of the day. This attitude is reflected in Bradbury's portrayal of Montag in the
opening scenes of Fahrenheit 451 .
Technology
From the early days of television in the 1950s, when every American scrambled to have one in the
home, to this day, watching television has competed with reading books. In the 1950s, schools began to
use television in the classroom because it was becoming apparent that children's reading levels were
dropping. Bradbury, who had been nurtured as a child on books, used this in his novel to show how
literature was begin reduced to the simplest, most general terms. "Out of the nursery into the college and
back to the nursery; there's your intellectual pattern for the past five centuries or more," Captain Beatty
tells Montag and his wife when he tries to rationalize the work of the firemen.
Of all the technological advances developed since World War II, none have had a greater impact than
the development of atomic energy and the atomic bomb. During the 1950s and up until the fall of the
Soviet Union, the fear of nuclear war was a real threat in the minds of people. The fear of damage from
nuclear waste remains an environmental threat. The fear that destructive atomic power might fall into
the hands of terrorists is also an issue that compels political discourse and action. It is within an
atmosphere of fear that repression can flourish. In Fahrenheit 451, Bradbury re-creates the atmosphere
of fear and repression that prevailed when he was writing the book.
Another technological advance that Bradbury deals with in his book is the development of robots. In the
Mechanical Hound he presents a robot that is more powerful than a human being in its ability to "sniff
out" its prey. This representation reflects a commonly held view that the nature of robots is to be feared
because they do not possess human qualities and might even be able to take control over human beings.
Many science-fiction "mad scientist" movies of the 1950s capitalized on this fear by portraying
monstrous creatures created by misused technology as well as technology itself revolting against its
creators. This fear of technology was pervasive during the 1950s.
Gale Document Number: EJ2111500082
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
Reading Guide Questions
Review the following questions as you read the novel. Printing and answering on paper is not required,
though doing so many assist your understanding of the novel.
In order to understand the author, students should read a couple of online biographies of the author
before beginning to read the novel.
When school begins, the teacher will distribute questions for students to complete.
Part I: The Hearth and the Salamander
What do the “firemen” do for a living? Why is this ironic?
In the opening scene, why are the books compared to birds?
What does Montag think of his job?
Who does Montag meet on the way home?
During his conversation, Montag says that “You never wash it off completely” referring to the kerosene.
What could this mean symbolically?
6. Why do you think that Bradbury would introduce Clarisse before Montag’s wife, Mildred?
7. Why does Mildred need help when Montag gets home?
8. Describe the help that she receives.
9. Is there anything unusual about the way the two men go about helping Mildred? How is it unusual?
10. How is life in Montag’s house very different from that of Clarisse’s house?
11. How does Mildred react after she wakes up from her previous night’s experience?
12. What does Mildred do all day?
13. Describe the setup of Montag’s TV room.
14. What is Clarisse doing when Montag sees her?
15. How is Clarisse different than Mildred?
16. What is the mechanical hound and what is its purpose?
17. What is the hound’s reaction to Montag?
18. Why does society consider Clarisse “anti-social?”
19. At the next fire, what does Montag take?
20. Beatty reveals something very important about himself and his knowledge. What is it?
21. What technology does Mildred use to go to sleep?
22. Who is Mildred’s “family?”
23. What has happened to Clarisse? How did it happen?
24. What is unusual about the way Mildred told Montag about Clarisse?
25. List three things Beatty talks about in his speech to Montag that are true about our world.
26. What human institutions are being criticized in the novel?
27. What is Fahrenheit 451?
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Part II: The Sieve and the Sand
28. When was the last liberal arts college shut down?
29. Why did Faber’s fear dissipate when Montag was standing outside his door?
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
30. What did Montag want from Faber?
31. How did Montag finally get Faber to consider really helping him?
32. What two items were exchanged before Montag left the professor’s house?
33. What is the volcano’s mouth?
34. Which lady was affected by the original intent of the poetry?
35. Listening to Captain Beatty play his harp and needle, Montag had what effect upon Beatty?
36. What interrupted the poker game?
37. Captain Beatty drove the Salamander to whose house?
Part III: Burning Bright
38. How has Beatty given Montag hints that he is under suspicion?
39. Who must have brought books back from the garden?
40. Who turned in an alarm against Montag?
41. What happened to Montag’s green bullet?
42. Why did Montag burn Beatty’s body?
43. What is Montag’s plan to escape?
44. How much money did Montag give Faber?
45. How many scents can the mechanical hound remember?
46. Why did Montag want Faber to turn on the air conditioning and sprinklers?
47. Interpret “Twenty million Montag’s running, soon, if the cameras caught him.”
48. Why did the search for Montag veer inland?
49. Who died in Montag’s place?
50. What did Granger mean by “Welcome back from the dead?”
51. When Granger and other like-minded people are stopped by authorities, why isn’t any incriminating
evidence found?
52. Do you have a sense that there are other “book chapters” in other towns? What proof do you have?
53. What does Granger mean by his quote, “You’re not important. You’re not anything?”
54. Explain the lasting implications of the events in the last 4-5 pages.