Live Well With Me

Definite Spoilers Ahead!

In the Psych Club, we have been covering books ever since the middle of 2024. I recently finished Fahrenheit 451 for the second time in my life, and I am just as moved by it now as I was when I was 15. I watched the movie on HBO Max a few years ago, but I also watched it at the halfway point of my this past read-through. The movie is interesting because it takes on a more modern, futuristic feel with some changes, such as Montag’s wife, Mildred, having a much smaller role. But I want to organize my thoughts into a more proper breakdown for this.

The Book

I started reading the book during my holiday break in December, but I read small sections at a time. I finished on February 10, still ahead of the “club” schedule. As I read, I did not have to wait long to remember the characters. I remember during my freshman year of high school, understanding these characters on a literary level. I will also never forget the discussion on censorship we had in that Pre-AP English I classroom. It felt far away, like something that would never become a part of my life, because I lived somewhere where I had freedom. Revisiting this same theme now, in today’s world, where books are still being banned? It is a surreal observation. While we currently do not live in a world where firefighters start fires rather than extinguish them, we do live in one where the media (in all forms) controls public opinion. In the same breath, we have a world full of people who cannot differentiate between fact and opinion. Critical thought is gradually becoming endangered. Media, artificial intelligence, original thought, knowledge… these are the same themes throughout the book that are relevant to today. For instance, the mechanical hound has recently become something real, for different purposes. In the book, they use a small, capsule-shaped earpiece for communication, which may sound like a Bluetooth headset/earbud.

The book, though, takes a stronger focus on the concepts of original thought, knowledge, literature, and history. Having books or anything other than “approved” texts is a means for a firefighter to visit. A woman amassed a library of books in the story, then chose to burn with them when the firefighters arrived. In the F451 universe, it is expected to fear books because they make you “crazy” or “depressed”. So, people are expected to take what is given to them, follow the rules, take their meds, and talk to the walls (the family, which are screens and voices).

Early on in the story, our protagonist, Guy Montag, is definitely hiding something. He makes vague references to a vent in his house, and I immediately think, “he’s totally hiding books in there.” Turns out, he is definitely hoarding books. Throughout the story, you can tell that he craves understanding his surroundings and his loved ones. He begins to witness so many different events that make him realize that this society feels wrong. In the end, he runs away, escapes arrest (although the “news” shows their audience they did catch him – it was a decoy). He meets up with scholars, teachers, and other literati who followed the same path. In the end, the city was bombed, and society is expected to rebuild itself as it always has, to repeat the cycle again.

The Movie

The movie takes on a more futuristic, relevant vibe compared to the book. The book was written in the 1950s, so stylistically, it isn’t as relatable as it is today. The movie stars Michael B. Jordan as Guy Montag and Michael Shannon as Captain Beatty. There were some similarities to the story, such as the presence of Clarisse. However, in the book, Montag has a wife named Mildred, and Mildred is not in the movie at all. This is likely to promote the relationship between Montag and Clarisse in the movie. (In the book, we know that Montag formed a friendship with Clarisse as he was 30 and she was 17, so I’m assuming Clarisse is slightly older in the movie.) Additionally, in the book, Clarisse disappears, reportedly killed in a car accident. In the movie, she plays a much bigger role. Also, one major difference between the movie and the book is that Montag dies in the movie. Also, there is no big nuclear bomb hitting the city in the movie, like in the book.

Ultimately, though, the movie was very relevant. It gave a social media + mass “sheeple” vibe, with people believing and taking whatever the media and the government are telling them. People believe everything they see, because “why would the government lie?” The same vibe is in the book as well, but seeing it as a type of social media felt eerily relevant. I strongly recommend reading the book and watching the movie, but also take the time to journal through reading it. Make connections to what you are witnessing in your real life. Open your eyes… (and at the risk of sounding like a Kuato) open your mind. Learn how to validate information and form YOUR own original opinion based on what you know to be true. If you’re going to be a sheep, it’s best to be the black sheep (assuming you follow your own path), so you’re not caught in the herd.