Farenheit 451 is set in the 24th century in a country where no one reads books anymore because life has to be lived quickly. There is no more time for reading. The ideas in books are seen as defamatory and books are therefore burned the moment they are discovered.
Guy Montag works as a fireman, which at the time meant that he burned books. He likes his job and sees the kerosene smell that surrounds him as a kind of perfume. When he comes home after work, he feels lonely. His wife Mildred wants to be entertained 24 hours a day and therefore has a small radio permanently in her ear and the three TVs in the apartment are also on all day.
On the other side of the island, "swathed at midday with mirage, defended by the shield of the quiet lagoon, one might dream of rescue," but, on this side, "the brute obtuseness of the ocean" makes rescue seem impossible.
