Analysis of Metaphors and Symbols in Fahrenheit 451

Throughout English literature there are a number of authors who use symbolism to get a point across to the reader. Symbolism is a chance for the author to show the reader instead of tell. The futuristic book Fahrenheit 451 is a novel based around symbolism and ulterior meanings. Water and fire are symbols commonly used in all types of literature. These elements are especially apparent in mythology. Also, within the novel the parlor walls proved themselves to be more than what was initially apparent. These symbols give this book a very specific tone and mood.

Fahrenheit 451 is a book by Ray Bradbury, written after World War II and it examines the corruption of technology in a dystopian society. This book explains how a dystopian society works and how people are so attached to television and cars and do not enjoy the natural world. People in a dystopian society are full of fear and sadness. They do not have equality or freedom, they are all so soaked up in technology that it is illegal for them to do simple stuff, such as, reading books. The book, Fahrenheit 451 explains how firefighters start fires rather than stopping them. A firefighter’s job is do burn books, since books are illegal to have because they go against the power of technology and modernization. In a dystopian society, people should be unhappy, unequal, violent, and brutalized and that is what is exactly being seen throughout this book. As Ray Bradbury captures the attention of many readers, he captures our attention on how the future could be if technology would become so extreme. Bradbury’s novel, Fahrenheit 451 is not about control, but it is a novel about how television destroys curiosity in reading literature.

“If someone tells you what a story is about, they are probably right. If they tell you that is all the story is about, they are very definitely wrong.” (Neil Gaiman). This quote connects to how stories, are not just based off of one topic, but are based off of several topics that can all relate to the central idea or message. Similarly, it represents how others’ perspectives on what the meaning of a true story is can be different from others. In this case, Fahrenheit 451 is a dystopian novel written by author Ray Bradbury, in which the protagonist and firemen, Guy Montag is required to burn and destroy books in the homes of citizens. Montag does not usually question why he does this, until he meets a fellow young

Mass cultures are created by silencing the voices of the opposition, and in Fahrenheit 451 the oppression is in the form of book burning. By burning these books, in a muddled mess of metaphors and allusions, Ray Bradbury is able to show the true danger of a monotone, censored society and the power of individualism and intellectuality. By setting the scene in an ambiguous time and place (although it is in the future), Bradbury makes the dystopian novel more relatable.

Knowledge is the driving force behind any society. Without knowledge, a society is bound to become corrupt and nonfunctioning. Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 tells the story of a firefighter named Montag. In this futuristic and utopian society, firefighters do not put out fires, they start them. The job of a firefighter is to find and burn books, which have been banned by the government. Montag goes along with the firefighter lifestyle until he meets a young girl named Clarisse. She causes him to start wondering about books, and Montag decides to grab one from a woman's house before it is burned down. Montag reads it and realizes how important books are to humanity. He knows that what firefighters are doing is wrong, and sets out to change it. Bradbury uses this story to portray a corrupt society that he believes will come of the real world, and some of his ideas have already come true.

Juan Ramon Jimenez once said, “If they give you ruled paper, write the other way”. This quote shows the challenge of authority, like Montag and his society. Just like challenging the normal, or doing the opposite of what seems to be right by “writing the other way” on a lined piece of paper, Montag chooses to challenge authority by reading, remembering, and comprehending books, instead of burning them. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury takes place in a dystopian society in the twenty-fourth century and the main character is Guy Montag. He is a fireman whose job is to burn books and start fires instead of putting them out. Moreover, he lives in a society which just listens to government propaganda and follows whatever they are told; the citizens do not think deeply about aspects in life but rather focus on mind-numbing activities, that does not take any deep thought process. Books are banned but Montag takes the risk to start to read books, hoping they will bring him happiness in the dark world he lives in. In his journey he has three mentors who help him, Clarisse, Faber, and Granger. The protagonist, Guy Montag, changes as a result of the conflict within his dystopian society and this change connects to the novel’s theme of government censorship over its citizens.

Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 tells a story of the tyranny of government and the dystopian view of literacy that is defined through book banning in a futuristic society. The main character of this novel, Guy Montag, is a government official that is charged with locating rebellions individuals that possess books. These government watchdogs must then burn the

Fahrenheit 451 is a dystopian novel by American writer Ray Bradbury, published in 1953. The novel describes a futuristic society in which books are outlawed and "firemen" burn any that are found. The protagonist is a fireman named Montag who becomes perturbed with his role in censorship and destruction of knowledge, eventually quitting his job and joining a resistance movement that memorizes and shares the world's greatest literary works. As Montag struggles over the value of knowledge, he becomes a skeptical, rebellious and dynamic person, driving him to the fringes of society in pursuit of an absolute truth.

Fire is viewed in many different ways in Fahrenheit 451, and the perception of the fire has changed multiple times. The salamander, a mythological creature often called “fire lizard” changes the definition of fire in Fahrenheit 451. The notation of salamander, being most common in Chapter 1, the Hearth and The Salamander. The names of the chapters in Fahrenheit 451 all connect to Guy Montag, the main character. In The Hearth and The Salamander, the hearth represents his home as it is warm and bears fire. The Salamander represents his job, as it is on a badge on his uniform. “She seemed hypnotized by the salamander on his arm”(p4, Ray Bradbury). Clarisse looks at Montag’s arm and sees the salamander which symbolizes him being a fireman. Firemen wear the salamander because of the old mythological meaning of the salamander having resistance to fire. The salamander is a prominent symbol in Fahrenheit 451, also being the name of the fire truck that the fireman use. Also, The Salamander

What fire represents in Fahrenheit 451 is, as established, strongly connected with the development of the main character. From it having the sole purpose of sabotaging not only objects but thoughts as well, to it being the reason why society will once again have the ability to live long and prosper. Ultimately, fire stands for newly found hope and an opportunity for improvement, even if it means destruction in the

Ray Bradbury’s novel Fahrenheit 451 presents readers with multiple themes. In the fictional society of Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, books are banned and firemen create fires instead of putting them out. Bradbury portrays the society as dystopian. Bradbury crafted the novel to be interpreted intellectually. The characters claim to be happy. However, the reader can conclude otherwise. Bradbury creates a question for the reader to answer: Is ignorance bliss or does the ability to think for oneself create happiness? Bradbury shows the importance of self-reflection, happiness and the ability to think for oneself as well as isolation due to technology, and the importance of nature and animals. In Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury conveys the stories’ themes through characterization and symbols.

"It was a pleasure to burn” (Bradbury 1). This quote represents the protagonist, Montag’s initial perspective of fire. Montag was content with his life and his job in this scene. However, all of this was to change. In Ray Bradbury’s dystopian fiction Fahrenheit 451, Montag lives in a society where reading books is illegal. Montag’s job as a fireman is to burn books and anyone who owns them. After an interesting encounter with Clarisse, Montag realizes that he has been fooled all his life. He realizes that books hold an infinite amount of knowledge. This novel follows Montag’s journey and crusade to learn the wonders books hold. From the call to

Bradbury uses symbolism to express his concern about how powerful governments manipulate citizens. For instance, when Granger turns on the portable TV, “a man turned a corner… The helicopter light shot down a dozen brilliant pillars that built a cage all about the man… The innocent man stood bewildered… He glanced up at the sky and the wailing sirens… ‘Montag, don't move!’… The victim was seized by the Hound… Blackout. Silence. Darkness… an announcer on the dark screen said, ‘The search is over, Montag is dead; a crime against society has been avenged" (142). The pursuit of the innocent man symbolizes the government's power that it holds over citizens. The government depicts what they want the citizens to understand, instead of the real truth. The government knew that if

Fahrenheit 451 tells the story of Guy Montag, a weary fireman who was initially satisfied with blindly following his orders to

First, Bradbury uses symbolism throughout the story to convey the theme. One way he did this was directly in the title of the first section - “The Hearth and the Salamander.” (Bradbury, 1). This was effectively a form of foreshadowing as well. Historically, salamanders were thought to be resistant to fire. A few of the characters in the novel can be thought of as salamanders. When the city gets destroyed, Montag manages to survive, along with a couple others. They are the salamanders, as they were the few that were able to “resist the fire,” or in other words, survive the bombing of the city. This also exhibits the theme of how books are power because the “salamanders” in the story are book readers, and survived the bombing of the city. Therefore, books are power because only these book-reading “salamanders” survived while the non-readers died. The second part of the story, “The Sieve and the Sand,” also conveyed meaning through symbolism. In the text, Montag said that when he was a child, “some cruel cousin had said, ‘Fill