Fahrenheit 451

Final Discussion Questions

 1
•  If you had to memorize a single book or
risk its extinction, which book would you
choose?
 2
•  Are there any circumstances where
censorship might play a beneficial role in
society? Are there some books that should
be banned?
 3
•  Despite having firemen to keep them from
reading books that will make them
unhappy, many of the characters in
Fahrenheit 451 are not happy. List some
examples (major characters and minor).
•  Why do you think that they are not happy?
 4
•  How does the destruction of books lead to
more happiness and equality, according to
Beatty? Is there any validity to his
arguments?
 5
•  Beatty appears to be very well-read and
knowledgeable about books; he quotes them
often and seems to understand them. Why
does he hate books, then?

…and how could he get so well-read and knowledgeable

without being punished?
 6
•  Montag feels an unhappiness in his life at the
beginning of the book.
•  In an effort to solve this problem, Montag
turns to books.
•  In the process:
–  his wife betrays and leaves him
–  he is forced to burn his own house down
–  he kills a man
–  he loses his job
–  he becomes a fugitive and then a homeless
nomad
•  So, did turning to books make Montag’s life
better or worse?
 7
•  Who are the happier characters? Why are
they happy/content/satisfied with their
lives?
 8
•  "Don't look to be saved in any one thing,
person, machine, or library," Faber tells
Montag. "Do your own bit of saving, and if
you drown, at least die knowing you were
headed for shore."
•  The men at the end of the book were
doing this. How?
•  Is it good advice to follow? Why or why
not?
 9

•  Montag goes through a process in the book

that perhaps Ray Bradbury wants most
people to through. What role do each of the
following characters play in the book? How
do they affect Montag?
–  Mildred
–  Clarisse
–  Faber
–  Beatty
•  Do these characters mirror anything in our
lives?
 10
•  What is Ray Bradbury trying to tell us in
this book, Fahrenheit 451? What are some
themes?

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