Symbolism of Fire

Fire has many different meanings in the novel. The different meanings are:

• Destruction
• Cleansing
• Rage
• Warmth
• Rebirth

These five meanings represent Montag's character development throughout the novel.

Montag starts out as a fireman who burns books, in a destructive way. He believes that fire cleanses away anything impure. Then a chain of events fill Montag with rage over the Fireman's job. He wants to plant books in the homes of firemen to destroy their lives and credibility. He comes back to his senses and realizes that destroying an entire system by himself is impossible. He flees the city after being chased by authorities, and come upon a small group of men in the wilderness around a fire. From this encounter, Montag learns that fire does not only destroy, it can warm. One of the men in the group then tell Montag a story about the Phoenix, a mythical bird that burns itself up and is reborn from the ashes. Soon after, bombs are dropped over the city and it looks as if from the ashes, a better future could be built.

Art

Art in the dystopian city no longer depicts specific things, like people or objects. All of the art is abstract. It is unheard of for someone to create artwork that portrayed a tangible object. The lack of shape in art represents the lack of concrete emotions. Unlike the art in this day and age that displays a wide range of emotions and is used to convey a message, the art in the novel is devoid of any value and used only for entertainment purposes.

Connections

The novel makes many allusions to literature throughout history, since the plot revolves around books. The official slogan of the firemen is "Monday burn Millay, Wednesday Whitman, Friday Faulkner, burn 'em to ashes, then burn the ashes" (38). The shameless destruction of meaningful literature reflects upon the lack of meaning in society. Through book-burning, the firemen are destroying the human emotion and struggle present in those books, and in turn, exterminating what makes them human.

Montag stole a bible from the house of the woman who set herself on fire. That book is said to be the last one remaining. Although he is not religious, possessing the last bible represents how he is the last person with real knowledge.

The theme in the novel connects to the universal theme of the meaning of existence. Although this theme is not explicitly stated, it is hinted at throughout the novel through Montag's observations of the people around him. He understands that he and many other people are not as happy as they say they are, so he sets out to find the answer in books. 

Allusion to Poetry

"Dover Beach" is a poem written by Matthew Arnold that was published in 1867. Bradbury included part of this poem in Fahrenheit 451 that represents themes in his novel. Below is an excerpt from the poem:


The Sea of Faith
Was once, too, at the full, and round earth's shore
Lay like the folds of a bright girdle furled.
But now I only hear
Its melancholy, long, withdrawing roar,
Retreating, to the breath
Of the night-wind, down the vast edges drear
And naked shingles of the world.

Ah, love, let us be true
To one another! for the world, which seems
To lie before us like a land of dreams,
So various, so beautiful, so new,
Hath really neither joy, nor love, nor light,
Nor certitude, nor peace, nor help for pain;
And we are here as on a darkling plain
Swept with confused alarms of struggle and flight,
Where ignorant armies clash by night.


In the poem, a couple looks out to sea and listens to the waves. From the sound of the waves, the speaker begins to reflect on the vast world around him. Faith that had once existed has turned to melancholy. All the world lay ahead of them, very beautiful yet full of pain and insecurity. The poem ends on a bittersweet note, as the couple holds on to their love amidst a world of violence and confusion. 

The themes of this poem focus on man's relationship with the world, sadness and suffering, and existential meaning, all of which are present in the Fahrenheit 451. Throughout the novel, Montag tries to find his place in the world after failing to fit into society. The world he lives in has no pain or suffering, only fun parks and giant TVs, called "parlors" that broadcast "the family." Books became illegal after everyone stopped reading them, and no one in their right mind would care about nature. This society creates people who are carefree and "happy," yet they care not about the lives of others. Montag realizes that his life has no meaning, and struggles to find that meaning through books. 

People living in this society seem to be happy, but actually live empty lives. There are many people who commit or attempt suicide, yet others do not know why. Though the people do not suffer hardships, their lives lack any substance.

Significant Moments

1. "She seemed to remember something and came back to look at [Montag] with wonder and curiosity. 'Are you happy?'" (39). 
Montag meets Clarisse one night and has an enlightening conversation with the girl. He learns that the girl is the complete opposite of everyone else's dull and shallow personalities. Montag learns of the Man in the Moon, and noticed other things that he often overlooks. Just as the girl is about to leave, she asks him the life-changing question of "are you happy?" Montag thinks the question is ridiculous; he is certain that he is happy. Soon after though, he realizes that he has been missing something in his life that none of the cheap entertainment of his age could fill.

2. "The small crystal bottle of sleeping tablets which earlier today had been filled with thirty capsules and which now lay uncapped and empty" (43).
Montag goes home to find that his wife, Mildred, has taken 30 sleeping pills. He phones the emergency hospital, to which operators, instead of medics, use machines to clean out Mildred's system. Through this suicide attempt, Montag ponders back to the question of Clarisse asked him. He wonders why his wife would try to kill herself if she says that she is happy.

3. "The woman's hand twitched on the single matchstick. The fumes of kerosene bloomed up about her. Montag felt the hidden book pound like a heart against his chest" (69).
Montag and his crew receive an alarm about a woman who may be hiding books. Once they get to the house, he discovers that the woman owns a lot of books, and plans to do his duty as a fireman and burn those books. For some reason, Montag had second-thoughts about destroying the books, so he stole one instead. As the other firemen try to detain the woman and burn the books, the woman takes out a matchstick. She sets herself and her books on fire instead of being taken away. This experience alters Montag's life forever. From that moment on, he knows for sure that he is not happy, and from the woman's actions, the answer to his happiness lay somewhere in those books.

4. "I plunk the children in school nine days out of ten. I put up with them when they come home three days a month; it's not bad at all. You heave them into the 'parlor' and turn the switch. It's like washing clothes; stuff laundry in and slam the lid" (125).
The quotation is said by Mrs. Bowles. She has children, but does not take care of them at all. She puts them into school and let junk be poured into their brains from the 'parlor.' Her actions represent the carelessness of the people in the novel. They do not form any meaningful relationships with anyone, including their own children.

Essential Questions

1. Why did the old woman burn herself to death rather than give up her books and live?
2. How did Clarisse McClellan affect the actions of Guy Montag?
3. To what extent does our society reflect the one in the novel?
4. It was explained in the novel that books were banned due to content that offended minorities. In what cases do you think censorship is appropriate?

Background and Summary

Fahrenheit 451 is a novel written by Ray Bradbury that was published in 1953. The story takes place in an American city in the distant future, a time when reading books is illegal. The main character, Guy Montag, is a fireman who burns books. His job is to set fires instead of putting out fires, since all the houses have been fireproofed. 

While walking home from work on day, Montag encounters a very peculiar 17-year-old girl on a late-night stroll. The girl introduces herself as Clarisse McClellan. Montag finds the girl to be unusual, because she notices a lot of things that no one care about. She likes observing people, enjoying nature, and spending time alone thinking. These activities are completely unheard of in the society where people stare at giant TVs that cover entire walls, listen to the radio on little "seashells," and speed down the road at over 100 miles per hour. 

Clarisse plants an important question in the mind of Montag, asking him if he is happy. Montag thinks that question is outrageous at first, but after his wife attempts suicide and  a woman burns herself rather than give up her books, he knows that he is not happy. He tries to find the answer in books, and formulates an elaborate plan with an acquaintance to try to fix what he believes is wrong in this society.