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Fahrenheit 451 Analysis

Decent Essays

Mansi Dubey
Ms. Guas
English 111
30 April 2017 Knowledge From Within “There is something bigger than fact: the underlying spirit, the mood, the vastness, the wildness,” Emily Carr explains during an interview. Carr explicates a compelling idea: Works of literature contain a sub-meaning or an underlying meaning. These sub-meaning emerges in the bestselling science fiction book written by Ray Bradbury, Fahrenheit 451. Ray Bradbury expresses sub-meanings in his text by utilizing character foils. Through the character foil displayed in the fictional personas, Montag and Beatty, Ray Bradbury elucidates three main ideas: contradicting viewpoints will unfailingly exist; choices define a person; to choose knowledge is greatness.
Contradicting viewpoints occur wherever there is room for opinions, making it immensely important to acknowledge both sides of the given topic. In the book, Guy Montag, the main character, is portrayed as a hero because of his understanding regarding both sides of the argument. A specific opinionated topic related to the symbolization of fire is brought in light. Formerly, Montag believed that fire could only be destructive. Succeeding this thought, Montag was enlightened. Montag expresses, “It was not burning, it was warming. He saw many hands held to its warmth, hands without arms, hidden in darkness...He hadn’t known fire could look this way. He had never thought in his life that it could give as well as take. Even its smell was different” (Bradbury 139). Ray Bradbury includes this piece or revelation to convey the idea that heroes, including Montag, are successful because they have the ability to find both sides of an argument and acknowledge it. On the contrary, Bradbury uses the character Beatty, to show the consequences of blinding one’s self to the other side. Beatty believes, “What is there about fire that is so lovely?...It is a real beauty that destroys responsibility and consequences. A problem gets too burdensome, then into the furnace with it” (Bradbury 109). Beatty believes that fire symbolizes destruction and solutions come from this. Throughout the book, Beatty himself symbolizes destruction. Bradbury displays this idea, showing how Beatty’s opinions tend to lean towards

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