Ray Bradbury’s classic novel “Fahrenheit 451,” originally published in 1953, is a cautionary tale about censorship, ignorance and overreliance on technology, making it as relevant today as it was during its release. Bradbury’s futuristic dystopian classic is a scathing social, intellectual and political commentary on what the worst-case scenario is for a society that revolves around technology and censorship, and the picture Bradbury paints is not a pretty one.

“Fahrenheit 451” centers around a character named Montag, a fireman in the futuristic world the novel takes place in. However, Montag isn’t a fireman in the traditional sense of the word. In Bradbury’s dystopian world, a fireman is someone who seeks out any and all books to burn, which is representative of the novel’s title. 451 degrees Fahrenheit is the exact temperature at which paper catches fire. In Montag’s world, all books are illegal and possessing or hiding them can be punishable by death in some cases.

The logic behind burning books in this futuristic society stems from its history with conflict and war. It is mentioned that there were two nuclear wars prior to the time period in which the book is set. It is implied that these wars all began with “minorities” and special interest groups being offended by every little thing, which resulted in authors writing watered down books that were less offensive, but also less substantive. However, the watered-down books still offended people to the point of war, which led to all books being banned and burned. The aspect of societal division certainly has parallels to today, as our country is extremely divided and people have become increasingly unable to disagree with each other without getting verbally or physically aggressive, which has resulted in society adhering to the pressure of whichever direction the political and social pendulum is swinging.

Unfortunately, censorship is also a parallel that can be drawn between our modern world and Bradbury’s dystopian nightmare. School districts across the country are placing restrictions or bans on both books and controversial topics in their curriculums. Some school districts in the U.S. have rid their curriculums of inclusive lesson plans that are more representative of a diverse student body, as well as watered down lesson plans pertaining to slavery and other forms of minority oppression. Other school districts have placed bans on certain books.

According to Penn America, a watchdog non-profit organization that promotes freedom of the press and a lack of educational censorship, 10,046 books were either banned completely without access, banned with restrictions, or banned pending investigation during the 2023-24 school year. Penn America recorded book bans in 29 states and 220 public school districts. Of the most commonly banned books during the 2023-24 school year, 44% are centered around people and characters of color and 39% are centered around LGBTQ+ people and characters.

Bradbury’s dystopian society also has an extreme dependency on technology, to the point where its citizens, including Montag’s wife, are so “plugged in,” to mindless TV, radio, and advertisements, that they end up being ignorant, isolated, and robotic. Sound familiar? Picture a modern-day restaurant in which a couple is on a date and both are more interested in their phones and the latest social media trend than they are in each other, a scene that a large number of people have surely witnessed or been a part of.

The emotionless nature of Bradbury’s society, largely the result of its dependency on technology rather than human emotion and creativity, is eerily similar to the recent rise in the capability and mass use of Artificial Intelligence. As useful as AI is, its utility is limited by its lack of originality, beauty and emotion, all of which are critical aspects of the human experience. AI and other forms of technology can also be dangerous because they can be easily manipulated to induce harm, like the robotic attack dogs in “Fahrenheit 451,” which are programmed to hunt and kill cats and rats, and in some cases, human beings.

“Fahrenheit 451” is a commentary on the potential consequences of the geopolitical and geo-military conflicts Bradbury witnessed take place in the first half of the 20th century, which included the rise and fall of Hitler and Stalin’s fascist book burning regimes, as well as the rise of McCarthyism, a repressive anti-communist movement/witch hunt led by Senator Joseph McCarthy in the late 1940s into the 1950s. However, “Fahrenheit 451” is far more than just commentary. Bradbury’s masterful use of literary devices is evident in his poetic writing style, vivid imagery, and most of all, his approach with character development. “Fahrenheit 451” focuses on five characters, Montag being the main character, and the other four serving as secondary characters.

Montag is the only dynamic character in the novel, but his transformation is as complete as it gets in literature. Montag starts the novel off more closely resembling an antagonist but comes full circle by the end. The other four characters are flat characters, undergoing little, if any, change throughout the novel. The lack of dynamic characters has been a source of criticism over the years. However, only having one dynamic character might be a negative for some novels, but in “Fahrenheit 451,” it’s perfectly fitting. A society that revolves around conformity and uniformity would almost certainly be full of flat characters.

Bradbury was concerned that the consumption of mass media would result in a disinterest in reading books, which current statistics certainly support. According to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics, there has been a steady decline over the past 20 years in the number of adults that read at least one book per year. Unfortunately, many of Bradbury’s predictions in “Fahrenheit 451” have come to fruition in some way. The book centers around a society based on ignorance and censorship, but it’s a bleak yet convincing reminder that knowledge is power, and ignorance is in fact submission, rather than bliss, which is a reminder that we could all use right now.