Throughout your four years of high school, you will read a countless amount of books in English classes, and no two books will ever contain the same imagery, strategies, or life lessons. There will definitely be novels that you strongly dislike, and there will be some uneventful nonfiction books that do not at all spark your interest, but Fahrenheit 451 is not one of those.

Fahrenheit 451 is a fiction piece written by Ray Bradbury that most will read during their freshman year of high school. This novel depicts a dystopian society in which the government brainwashes each person into having absolutely no desire to learn anything. Bradbury wrote about the future of America, in which the citizens only strive to indulge themselves into the incredible technology around them and never challenge themselves to critically think about life or anything at all profound. What is most incredible about this piece is that it was published in the year 1953, yet Bradbury writes about astounding technology in his story that is now present in this society in 2015. Reading this novel really challenges the reader to think about our society and whether or not we will eventually live in a world like that in Fahrenheit 451.

The main plot of Fahrenheit 451 follows Guy Montag, the protagonist of the novel. Montag, as he is referred to in the book, works as a “fireman,” but not the kind of fireman we see today. Rather than put out fires, Montag and his co-workers are in charge of using fire for destruction. Their job is to expose those who are hiding books in their homes and burn them publicly to warn other of the “dangers” of curiosity. However, once Montag meets Clarisse McClellan, who talks of rebellion and asks hundreds of profound questions, he realizes that these kinds of thoughts have never entered his mind at all and begins to question why society is so against knowledge and learning. He gradually begins to rebel himself and to critically think for himself, which he’s never done before.

Fahrenheit 451 has been one of my favorite books in high school. The constant thrill and adventure will always leave the reader wondering what will happen to this society, and are we slowly heading towards the same fate?