I thought it was interesting how hopeful the ending of Fahrenheit 451 was. Bradbury's language is so hectic, so full of fire and stuffed with words, that the relatively simple, vague prose of the last few paragraphs seems spartan in comparison. The final words, "when we reach the city" (165), seem both ominous and uplifting. It's ironic how a society obsessed with burning books, in the end, burned themselves to the ground, with only Montag, the fireman, left to bury them. Like The Road, The Handmaid's Tale, and Children of Men, Fahrenheit 451 offers up an ambiguous ending whose meaning is left up to the reader to decide.
I also found the Coda and Afterword fascinating. I rarely read prefaces or afterwords or such; normally they're written by different authors, analyzing the book, and they're normally pretty dry. However, these were entertaining and revealing. I can't quite figure out if I agree with what Bradbury writes in the Coda or not. I think it's uncomfortably true what he writes about each minority 'taking a bite' out of literature; in this politically correct age everybody must be appeased. Whatever Bradbury writes, he is vastly entertaining, and always a joy to read.
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