Fahrenheit 451 Literary Analysis

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury shows a lot of things burning bright (literally) like the old woman her words that were like a thumbprint in his head. In part three, Montag burn Beatty after he burn  his house Montag, not affected emotionally  from him burning his house, but he was in denial and keep thinking. Montag thought Beatty wanted to die which that moved the plot significantly to his journey to Faber's and then across the river. Burning bright across the river Grangers fire that had a lot of meaning to Montag. The fire moved the plot towards the ending of the book.

Montag enjoys his job as a fireman. He explained his love for the job in the beginning of the book, “It was a special pleasure to see things eaten, to see things blackened and changed. With the brass nozzle in his fists, with this great python spitting its venomous kerosene upon the world, the blood pounded in his head, and his hands were the hands of some amazing conductor playing all the symphonies of blazing and burning to bring down the tatters and charcoal ruins of history” (Bradbury, 1). With Montag describing how he felt about his job, you can tell by how descriptive he was that he enjoyed his job. Montag believed he was happy with his life. “It never went away, that smile, it never went away as long as he remembered” (Bradbury, 2).

Indubitably, throughout the text there is a change in Montag’s admiration for fire. At first, Montag has a great love for his occupation of being a fireman, whose

At first, Montag is just a normal fireman, “At the beginning of the novel, Montag is an extension of the government, performing his duty as a fireman: burning books” (Student’s

It makes people think burn it; it is different burn it, but if it is fake and thinks for us keep it. These are the ideas expressed by Ray Bradbury in his novel Fahrenheit 451, where firemen burn books and tv is a person's "family." In Fahrenheit 451, Bradbury suggests television can take away people's ability to think freely and express themselves. He uses symbolism, characterization, and dialogue to demonstrate people are controlled by fear and technology thinks for people. In Fahrenheit 451, fire destroys, technology thinks, and people do nothing but follow the directions.

Throughout the first part of the novel: The Hearth and the Salamander, the author highlights the apparent change in Montag after he was influenced by Clarisse. At first, Montag is characterized as a proud, happy fireman who would not doubt the life that he is living now, "It was a pleasure to burn. It was a special pleasure...to see things blackened and changed." Montag believed that everything he is doing is correct up to this point and he was ignorant to the feelings of those who have

Fire is seen as many different things in life, such as a destructive, harmful, and dangerous force or a purifying and strong force. In Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury shows that a fire can be perceived as both, but it depends on how you want to look at it. In the novel, fire is shown to be seen as a tool that the government uses so they can have full control over the civilians so they are overpowered and can not be stopped but as the story unfolds you can see fire being used in different mannerisms, from being a destructive force to being a sign of hope. The fire in Fahrenheit 451 symbolizes both good and bad since it can be seen as a destructive force and also a pure force. Montag's character is similar to this concept because he used to be a

In the beginning of the book, Montag is in love with fire. He cherishes it, seeing as he is a firefighter, and believes that “it was a pleasure to burn.” (1-2) He wasn’t afraid of fire, and wasn’t affected when “books went up in sparking whirls.” (1-2)

Imagine traveling to the future to discover the disappearance of the principles and ways of life that once were. In this futuristic world, firemen start fires to burn books instead of extinguishing them. Likewise, today’s common notion that people should read books and educate themselves reverses to the opposite where books have become illegal. The government tries to make the people believe that books only cause pain and suffering but, on the contrary, they enlighten the ignorance of the unknowing. The idea of happiness shrouds the people of this time when their euphoria is just blindness towards reality.

Montag turns his view of fire from entertainment and destruction into cleansing and renewal when an alarm brings the firemen to his own home. Montag wanted to burn his house because “He wanted to change everything, the chairs, the tables, and in the dining room the silverware and plastic dishes, everything that showed that he had lived here…” (Bradbury 110). He wanted to get rid of his old life and all memories of it. Montag had even said “If there was no solution, well then there was no problem, either. Fire was best for everything” (Bradbury 110). In this aspect, fire is used for cleansing, just burn anything that is a problem. Ironically, Beatty is one Montag’s problem, so Montag follows his advice and burns Beatty alive. With the use of fire, Montag successfully gets rid of his previous life and Beatty.

Visualize a world where asking profound questions and deep level thinking was illegal and where unequal knowledge causes unhappiness among people. Ray Bradbury takes readers on a journey through the evolution of the main character, Guy Montag, in his novel Fahrenheit 451. In this society, firemen are no longer people who save houses, but instead, they destroy them. Montag is sent to burn down homes with books held in them, as they are illegal because they are said to make people unhappy. A young girl named Clarisse asks Montag if he is really happy with his life, and this is when he begins to rethink his career as a fireman. Montag begins to turn against his job and society and investigates the meaning behind the words in books on a deeper level. Readers follow Montag’s life as he faces the challenges it takes to save books and change the way society views the words inside, even if it means death for some. Ray Bradbury uses the symbol of fire to represent both destruction and purity, which evolves throughout the novel, in order to highlight the theme that perspective towards something can constantly alter; change and transformation is the key to life.

As Montag’s external appearance stays the same as the rest of the firefighters who burn books, his internal appearance and physical actions are continuously evolving. The narrator reveals Montag’s realization about the firemen who all looked the same with dominant traits such as, “black hair, black brows, a fiery face and a blue-steel shaved but unshaved look,” which was expressed to show the lack of individuality among the men(33). Each firefighter, including Montag, plays a role in the burning of books and each is content doing so, but

Montag worked as a firemen, a feared member of the society, who do not fight fires, but started them. His main job was to burn books and the houses in where they were hidden. After years working as a firemen Montag, never questioned why books were banned. He accepted his life and the work he do every day. In the novel Bradbury, states “It was pleasure to burn. It was a special pleasure to see things eaten, to see things blackened and changed. With the brass nozzle in his fists, with this great python spitting its venomous kerosene upon the world, the blood pounded in his head, and his hands were the hands of some amazing conductor playing all the symphonies of blazing and burning to bring down the tatters and charcoal ruins of history.” This quote show us that Montag was a firemen who believes enjoying doing his job, he felt a pleasure burning books and houses. However this changes when he meets his neighbor Clarisse McClellan, a 17 year old girl who claims being “crazy” because he decides to follow her own path. Clarisse helped Montag realize the emptiness of his life, he thought of whether he actually was happy, and if what he was doing was right. “So it was the hand that started it all...His hands had been infected, and soon it would be his arms...His hands were ravenous” Montag shows resistance to social control because he steals books from the

In the start of Fahrenheit 451, Montag’s thoughts are that fire is good for society. He burns books for a living, and never thought twice about doing his job. That is until he meets characters such as Clarisse, Beatty, and the academics. Montag’s understanding of the nature of fire changes as he becomes enlightened through his relationships.

“Then, moaning, she ran forward, seized a book and ran toward the kitchen incinerator. He caught her, shrieking. He held her and she tried to fight away from him scratching,” (63). In the novel Fahrenheit 451 follows the protagonist, Guy Montag, and his interactions with society discouraging and encouraging his discovery of the illegal books. Along the way he understands who are the poisonous people in his dystopian world and who are not; changing his perspective to lose trust in his wife Mildred, from previous quote, and finding safety with Faber, a retired professor he came by one day in a park. In the novel Fahrenheit 451 the author demonstrates the idea that when there is censorship in the world, ignorance will follow because when a subject is hidden from one anything they do regarding it is under the impression of their lack of knowledge surrounding the topic, this becomes more relevant when Ray Bradbury acknowledges the emotions of people who have read books and whom haven't and their general opinions of them.