Fahrenheit 451 is a dystopian novel by Ray Bradbury. The book is set in a future society where books are outlawed and “firemen” burn any that are found. The protagonist, Guy Montag, is a fireman who begins to question the purpose of his job after meeting a young girl named Clarisse.
Bradbury uses symbolism throughout the novel to explore themes of censorship and knowledge. For example, the Fahrenheit temperature at which paper burns is a symbol for the destruction of knowledge. Similarly, the “firemen” are a symbol for those who seek to censor and destroy knowledge.
The book has been banned in several countries due to its controversial content. However, it remains an important work of literature that continues to be studied and discussed by readers around the world.
In Fahrenheit 451, light, especially fire, and darkness are recurring motifs. Guy Montag is a fireman in this future world, but the job description of a fireman now includes the task of igniting books wherever they may be found; rather than extinguishing them. Montag goes from being immersed in darkness to being enlightened by knowledge. This trek can be compared to Plato’s short story Allegory of the Cave, in which a prisoner travels through similar terrain.
She tells him, “I like to walk at night… You can see so many more stars.” (Bradbury 5) At first, Montag does not understand what she is talking about. He says, “Stars? I’ve never seen any real ones.” (5) Clarisse replies with, “You’ve never looked up at night? Oh, the things you miss if you don’t bother to look!”(5) For Montag, this is the first time he realizes that there is more to life outside of his little bubble. It is also the beginning of his journey to knowledge and self-awakening.
In Fahrenheit 451, fire symbolizes two different things; destruction and new beginnings. When Captain Beatty, Montag’s boss, is talking to him about books he says, “And just to show you that firemen are human beings with hearts of gold… I’ll let you in on a little secret. We haven’t put the kerosene to a single blessed libricide we didn’t have to. We could do the job with pills if we wanted to.
But we like it! We like it!” (Bradbury 32) This shows that even though they are destroying books, which contain knowledge, they still get a sense of enjoyment out of it. Fire also has a more literal meaning in Fahrenheit 451, as in it literally destroys everything in its path. In the beginning of the novel, when Montag is burning a house with a family inside of it, he thinks to himself, “It was a pleasure to burn.
It was a special pleasure to see things eaten, to see things blackened and changed.” (Bradbury 9) This further cements the idea that destruction brings these firemen happiness. At the end of Fahrenheit 451, there is a literal fire that destroys everything in its path, but this time it contains books instead of destroying them.
This fire represents hope and new beginnings. When Montag finds the group of people who memorize books, Faber tells him that they need to start a forest fire, filled with books, in order to start fresh and hopefully create a world where knowledge is valued again. Fahrenheit 451 is a dystopian novel that uses light and darkness to symbolize the journey from ignorance to knowledge. Through the reoccurring theme of fire, Ray Bradbury shows how books can be both destructive and full of hope.
“They arrived at her home, and all of the lights were blazing.” (9) Because Montag had never seen so many house lights on before, I took those lines to imply that “this home is full of knowledge and enlightenment; not like the rest of the homes around here, which are always dark.” Clarisse continued by telling Montag that her father, mother, and uncle were just sitting there chatting when they got home. This was something uncommon in the city. In Fahrenheit 451, fire is an important motif.
It is both the bringer of destruction and the physical embodiment of hope. The first time we see fire in Fahrenheit 451, it is being used to destroy books. The men who burn the books are called “Firemen. ” It is their job to find any books that might be hidden and to burn them. The Firemen use flamethrowers to accomplish their task. They are very efficient at what they do; “They can turn a house into ashes in no time” (6).
Books are not the only things that the Firemen destroy. If they find someone reading a book, that person is also put to death. Their reasoning for this is that if someone is caught reading, it must mean that they are thinking. And if they are thinking, they might start to question the way things are. The Firemen can’t have that; so, they burn the books and kill the thinkers.
Throughout the novel, we see fire being used to destroy things. At one point, Montag even burns his own house down. He does this after his wife, Mildred, tries to kill him. She does this because she is so disgusted with him for reading a book. She would rather watch her “family” on TV than spend time with him. After she tries to kill him, he sets fire to their house and everything in it. This includes all of her treasured possessions and the three robot children that she considers to be her real family.
The destructive energy generated at this time is the building block that leads to disaster. When the narrator states, “With his symbolic helmet numbered 451 on his stolid head, and his eyes all orange flame with the prospect of what was next, he flicked the igniter and the house leaped up in a gorging fire that burned the evening sky red and yellow and black,” it is clear that a picture of a fireman has been drawn (3). The temperature at which books burn is symbolically written on firemen’s helmets, tanks, and buildings.
It is a number that reflects the destruction of books, and also the ignorance that Fahrenheit 451 promotes. The books themselves are a symbol for the knowledge that is being destroyed and censored.
In Fahrenheit 451, books are banned and firemen burn any houses that contain them. The heroine Montag’s wife Mildred represents the people who have been brainwashed by the government into thinking that books are unnecessary and unimportant. She is an example of how Fahrenheit 451 has managed to control the population by dictating what they are allowed to read and learn.
The character of Captain Beatty serves as a symbol for the government’s control over its citizens. He is the one who suggests that burning books is necessary in order to keep people from being hurt by the information in them. He also represents the way that Fahrenheit 451 has managed to control the population by dictating what they are allowed to read and learn.
The character of Clarisse is a symbol for the hope that change is possible. She is one of the few people in Fahrenheit 451 who still values books and knowledge. She helps Montag see that there is more to life than following orders and burning books.
The character of Faber is a symbol for the importance of free thought and expression. He is a former professor who has been forced into hiding because of his beliefs. He helps Montag realize that Fahrenheit 451 is wrong and that books should be protected, not burned.
The character of Granger is a symbol for the resistance movement against Fahrenheit 451. He is the leader of a group of people who have memorized books so that they can be passed down to future generations.
The character of Montag is a symbol for the individual who is capable of change. He starts out as a loyal fireman who burns books, but he eventually comes to see the value in them. He helps lead the resistance against Fahrenheit 451 and becomes a symbol for hope and change.