Ray Douglas Bradbury Born 1920
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BookWolf Wolfnotes, available at http://Bookwolf.com. WOLFNOTE SUMMARY OF… RAY DOUGLASS BRADBURY’s FAHRENHEIT 451 The Author - Ray Douglas Bradbury born 1920 The author was born in Waukegan, Illinois on 22nd August 1920. He is one of America’s most distinguished writers whose long career spans from his early teens to the present day, where he lives in Los Angeles. He is known for his short stories and poetry, and he has also written for TV and Radio. Many of his books have been transferred to the motion picture medium, and Bradbury has tried his hand at screenplay writing, in particular ‘It Came from Outer Space’, and ‘Moby Dick’. In his early years he was interested in magic, and would often attend traveling circuses whenever they appeared in Illinois. One of his early influences was one of these traveling magicians, Mr. Electrico. He was encouraged by his family to be expressive, and he helped organize the family’s Halloween Parties. His Aunt Neva was also a great influence on the young Bradbury, introducing him to heroes such as Flash Gordon, Tarzan, and even the works of Edgar Allan Poe. When he was 14, the Bradbury family moved to Los Angeles, and he started to write using a toy typewriter he had received as a gift. In 1937 he became a member of the Los Angeles Science Fiction League, and he helped produce their own magazine ‘Futuria Fantasia’. His first work to be published was a short story entitled ‘Pendulum’, which appeared in Super Science Stories, published in 1941. Much of Bradbury’s early work was based on his childhood experiences such as ‘The Jar’ published in 1944, and ‘Homecoming’ published in 1946. The exuberant Halloween Parties enjoyed by the Bradbury family inspired the writing of ‘Uncle Einar’ published in 1947. This work was coupled with other short stories under the title of ‘Dark Carnival’. His first really inspirational work was ‘The Martian Chronicles’ published in 1950. This book, ‘Fahrenheit 451’ was published in 1954. Bradbury has continued to be a prolific writer right through to the latter part of the 20th century. Much of his writing has gone on to be the basis of work for motion pictures, television and radio, e.g. ‘The Martian Chronicles’, this book - ‘Fahrenheit 451’, ‘The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms’, ‘It Came from Outer Space’, and ‘The Illustrated Man’. His other main works include ‘Something Wicked This Way Comes’ published in 1962, ‘The April Witch’ published in 1987, ‘Graveyard for Lunatics’ published in 1990, and ‘Journey to Far Metaphor’ published in 1994. Ray Bradbury is more than just a writer; he is one of America’s foremost dreamers with a vivid imagination. His services were requested by Disney world when providing the basic format for the interior of Spaceship Earth. He also helped design a 21st century city on the outskirts of Tokyo. Another one of Bradbury’s novels ‘Dandelion Wine’ has obtained immortality as one of the moon’s craters has been named ‘Dandelion Crater’ in honor of Bradbury. ‘Fahrenheit 451’ was made into a film in 1966 directed by Francois Truffaut. Bookwolf.com, Copyright 2001-2002, All Rights Reserved Distribution without written consent of BookWolf.com is strictly prohibited. BookWolf Wolfnotes, available at http://Bookwolf.com. Bradbury has an extensive family, having four daughters and numerous grandchildren. He enjoys painting and collecting Mexican artifacts Main Characters Guy Montag The protagonist of ‘Fahrenheit 451’, Montag is employed as a fireman whose task is to hunt down and burn books. The firemen are used as instruments of suppression, and this extreme form of censorship is designed to eliminate conflict within the society of the 24th century. At the start of the book, Montag carries out his duties with zeal, but as the story develops, we learn that he has become curious about the books he burns and has rescued some from the fire. Inspired by Clarisse and Faber he decides to rebel against the doctrines of the society, and he leaves the city to join other outcasts. At the end of the book, Grainger helps him to accept that the destruction of the city may lead to people and books flourishing again. Mildred Montag (Millie) Millie is totally immersed in a dream electronic world. Her home is full of electronic gadgets, and although she has three TV walls, she plagues Montag, her husband, for a fourth. She spends her daytime hours watching the screens, which enable her to commune with her television family. During her sleep-time, she has electronic bees or “seashell ear thimbles” in her ears, which block out thoughts and replace these with mindless entertainment. Her shallow life brings her no happiness, and she also indulges in the use of narcotics. Her friends are also of a similar nature, being bland and unintelligent. Montag, at the end of the book, contemplates Millie’s life and realizes that it achieved no purpose. She was unable to fulfill the roles of wife and mother. Captain Beatty The fire captain of the station where Montag works, Beatty is a shrewd and ruthless individual. He is thus the antagonist of the story. One might say that Beatty lived by the fire, and fatefully dies by the fire. One of his main duties is to monitor the firemen in his station with a view to spotting any nonconformists. Montag’s behavior arouses his suspicion and he gives the appropriate warning, which goes unheeded. Being tempted himself, he is aware of the pressure that his men are under at times. His knowledge of literature is extensive, so he too has read the books that his fire company destroy. The reader suspects that Beatty is unhappy and no longer obtains satisfaction from the work he does. We suspect that he does not have the courage to terminate his own life, and his goading of Montag turns him into a murderer, and Beatty dies in a jet of liquid fire. Clarisse McClellan She is the Montags 17-year old new neighbor and is in stark contrast to Millie, being curious, vibrant, and full of concern for other people. She inspires Montag to question his life and the work that he does. She initiates Montag’s metamorphosis. She is the initial guiding factor and her work on Montag is continued by Faber and Grainger. Professor Faber He is an elderly, retired English Professor who also has a flair for electronics. He has invented a receiver/transmitter earpiece. Bookwolf.com, Copyright 2001-2002, All Rights Reserved Distribution without written consent of BookWolf.com is strictly prohibited. BookWolf Wolfnotes, available at http://Bookwolf.com. Scholars suggest that he is named after Peter Faber, a tutor of the 16th century and founder of two Jesuit Colleges. Faber rebels against the society in which he lives, but only in a very ineffectual way. It is only when he meets Montag for the second time that he is able to emerge and is inspired to be an activist. With the electronic device, he forms a good alliance with Montag who becomes an extension of his own self. He manages to escape the city before it is destroyed and presumably helps rebuild the new world. Grainger He is the leader of the outcasts that live in the countryside beyond the city. He represents the foil for Captain Beatty. He too is adept at using technology, and he has means for defeating the Mechanical Hound, and bringing to the fore the power of the human mind. He will help guide the survivors of the war towards the enlightened society Part 1 - The Hearth and the Salamander Fahrenheit 451, the temperature at which book-paper catches fire and burns. “If they give you ruled paper, write the other way.” - Juan Ramón Jiménez. Summary “It was a pleasure to burn.” This book is set in the 24th Century and the main character is Guy Montag who is a fireman aged thirty. His job is to round up books held illicitly, and ensure they are destroyed by fire. This is done in order to maintain social order. It is, in fact, official censorship. Montag enjoyed his work. It was a pleasure to burn, for the burning of books is good. Books are bad in that they contain conflicting information or tell stories that are totally fictional. They give people unnecessary stimulation that can give rise to conflict. After finishing his shift Montag looks at himself in the mirror. He looks like a minstrel with his blackened face, which he has received from hard work burning books. On his way home, he encounters one of his new neighbors, Clarisse McClennan, a lively and curious girl who is very much unlike her contemporaries. She is aged seventeen and is regarded as antisocial by her schoolmates. She strikes up a conversation with Montag who is intrigued by this girls individuality. She passes comment about Montag’s smell of kerosene. He regards it as a perfume, as it is a symbol of his work. She asks him whether he reads any of the books that he burns, and he responds, “That’s against the law!” She asks another pointed question, “Is it true that long ago firemen used to put out fires instead of starting them, and that they used to save peoples lives instead of destroying their work?” Montag isn’t sure. He responds that houses have always been fireproof (all buildings have a fire resistant covering on them). She goes on to say that people drive their cars far too quickly and they don’t have time to see anything in detail.