We still read the novel Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury today because of its timeless message about the dangers of censorship. He created a society where censorship has progressed so much that owning and reading a book is now illegal. Ray Bradbury thought back in the year 1953 when he first wrote the novel that technology would soon overpower books and help control how society was run. Mildred, Montag's wife, is so immersed into their "wall screens", basically television screens that take up the entire wall, she considers the actors in them to be her family. Mildred sits in a room with three of the four walls covered in a television screen; she spends most of her day watching them and even wants another, "How long you figure before we save up and get the fourth wall torn out and a fourth wall TV out in? It's only two thousand dollars." (Bradbury 20). Mildred, much like the rest of society in the novel, act so melancholy and just settle for the mundane, mind numbing activity of watching television all day. People do not care about getting their minds stimulated, or learning. This novel is so relevant even today, because of how much technology is becoming a part of our lives. This book helps restore people's faith in books, and make them more aware of censorship in their lives.
The novel is so timeless because Ray Bradbury did not put a date on his futuristic portrayal of the country. As the years have passed since the book was written, and some of the things he wrote about start coming true, the book keeps getting more and more relevant. No one would want the events of the novel or the eventual outcome to come true. Reading this novel shows readers a glimpse into a world where ideas are censored, people think the same, and books are burnt. People still read this book today and will keep reading it in the future because of how real the issues are becoming.
Bradbury, Ray. Fahrenheit 451. New York: Del Rey Book, 1991. Print.
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