Fahrenheit 451 Literary Analysis

In Ray Bradbury’s novel, censorship is implemented in an odd way through the dystopian society. Firemen in today’s time are ordinarily known for “those who put out fires,” but the role of firemen in this story is completely different. They are the enforcers of the censorship law and are called when there is a suspect known hiding books in their home. Montag who is the prime character and fireman starts the story with a quote saying, “It was a pleasure to burn” (3). This confirms that firemen in the dystopian society seem to take their jobs as book burners with satisfaction. When Guy Montag awakes in the novel and questions the reasons why books are considered dangerous and to be burned. In Fahrenheit 451, Montag had said, “There must be something in books, something we can’t imagine, to make a woman stay in a burning house; there must be something there. You don’t stay for nothing.” He realizes that if someone dies for books they must be doing something right.

“’Strange. I heard once that a long time ago houses used to burn by accident and they needed firemen to stop the flames’” (Bradbury 6). In the dystopian novel Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, Guy Montag is a fireman, someone that burns books for the government to keep a firm control on what knowledge society has. However, through a series of events populated by an attempted suicide, a young girl, and an old man, Montag is shown a life where books are treasured instead of feared and hated. Armed with a vision of what the world has been, and could be like again, Montag ultimately meets up in the aftermath of a war with others that share his vision, and they begin their mission to make fire something other than a source of fear: a healing power.

In this world what people often forget about that a human can do is cause mass destruction, things one should remember can be forgotten easily and just as fast as it came it leave, this can be seen in the books around us. Authors share their opinion through the words they write talking about society and how if we keep going the direction we are going we will find ourselves in deep trouble, the messages authors are trying to send can be seen through social commentary, many books have powerful messages behind them; especially in dystopian novels and movies. They show these messages through diction,syntax, imagery, and character development; for examples the books and movies; Fahrenheit 451, Incarceron, Wall-E, and Hunger games. The authors Ray Bradbury, Catherine Fisher, Andrew Stanton, and Suzanne Collins all convey a message through their works through syntax, diction, camera angles, and imagery; emphasizing their warnings of what they fear may happen.

“It was a pleasure to burn. It was a special pleasure to see things eaten, to see things blackened and changed” (Bradbury 3). If Montag felt the slightest amount of emotion, he would display sympathy towards the authors’ whose work was being disintegrated into thin air. He begins his journey without emotion, but he is reminded of feelings such as love by a call to adventure from the magically depicted girl, Clarisse. While speaking with her, he is reminded of an event that depicts light as a creative, peaceful symbol: “One time, as a child, in a power failure, his mother had found and lit a last candle and there had been a brief hour of rediscovery, of such illumination that space lost its vast dimensions and drew comfortably around them, and they, mother and son, alone, transformed, hoping that the power might not come on again too soon…” (Bradbury 7). Clarisse makes Montag question his perspective and reminds him ever so slightly of the feeling of love; however, despite her insight, Montag continues to follow the status quo of disregarding books as nonsense. Only when Montag experiences the love and passion the Unidentified Old Woman had for her books does he have a spark of curiosity. “The woman’s hand twitched on the single

In Ray Bradbury’s novel, “Fahrenheit 451”, he creates a futuristic society impacted by censorship, where citizens are forced to conform to the government’s manipulation. In this society, all forms of literature became a dangerous gateway to knowledge and are regarded as signs of controversy. Books have been outlawed, and thus the human mind, individuality and thought have all become a blurred existence. Society has become senseless. Merely a place where a fireman’s profession is burning books and any houses found with books kept inside. The novel’s protagonist, Montage, also a fireman, is the narrator of the given quote above. Through the repetitive word “burning”, Bradbury emphasizes Montage’s sense of revelation. Montage realizes he must

In the novel, Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, Montag’s view on life reverses. Two characters the influence the main character Guy Montag are the old lady whose house and books were burnt down and Mildred. The old lady was caught preserving books in her home. Firemen including Montag were ordered to burn the books. The old lady refused to leave her books, so she too was burned. She bravely gave an allusion as her last words, “Play the man,’ she said, ‘Master Ridley.’ Something, something, something” (F451 37). Beatty the fire chief who ordered to burn the books replied, ”We shall this day light such a candle, by God`s grace, in England, as I trust shall never be put out” (F451 37). Montag gave this incident a lot of thought. The more thought he gave it; the more he questioned why the old lady loved those books so much she would die for them. Montag, like most of his society has never read an illegal book, so he is unable to relate to the old woman. But, he feels the urge to find out why these books are so sacred. After reading he begins to realize society is a twisted lie do to the controlling government. Montag’s wife influenced him to stop and question their way of living. Mildred’s common life style shows unhappiness to Montag. In her corrupted mind her family is the television, not Montag. Montag sees this depression and emptiness in Mildred and begins to question the way society has made her. After Mildred attempts suicide Montag tries to prevent him from

Books have the power to to influence and change one’s life forever; it gives them hope and courageousness in any situation. In Ray Bradbury’s dystopian novel, Fahrenheit 451, a man named Montag wants to find the truth. In a society where books are against the law, Montag-,with the help of a few others, discovers the true beauty behind books. The theme of the power of books is shown when the lady voluntarily dies for books, when Faber and Montag create a plan against the firemen, and the hobos’ telling of their life stories.

In Fahrenheit 451, The Giver, and “There Will Come Soft Rains,” the authors, Ray Bradbury and Lois Lowry, portray a dysfunctional world that has dehumanized its people. All three literary works display a world where the minds of people are twisted. They support the theory that technology takes away everything that makes humans unique. In these stories, the society that the main characters live in is too dependent on technology, resulting in people with empty, meaningless lives.

Introduction “Books can not be killed by fire. People die, but books never die” said Franklin D. Roosevelt, a former president of the United States of America. However, Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 is a book about a about a futuristic society in which firemen illegally burn books. At first, Montag enjoyed his job as a fireman burning books along with the homes of their owners. However, later in the book Montag questions his job and the purpose of his life.

Some people were really passionate about books, but it was rare, because if you wanted to be able to read books, you had to keep them hidden. One day, the firefighters discovered a woman who had been hiding books in her home. The lady refuses to leave the house without the books so they burn the house, books, and the woman. After that, Montag was traumatized. He couldn’t stop thinking about the horrible incident. He began to question himself, and his individuality. That night Montag kept complaining to his wife Mildred, “‘There must be something in books, things we can’t imagine, to make a woman stay in a burning house; there must be something there. You don’t stay

Montag is now at the point where his views are being tested and new beliefs of life are being created. “Montag had done nothing. His hand had done it all, his hand, with a brain of its own, with a conscience and a curiosity in each trembling finger, had turned thief” (35). Here Montag sees a plethora of books inside of Mrs. Blake’s house and seemingly of its own accord Montag’s hand takes a book. He has now broken a rule that everyone in Montag’s society knows, never to take or read books. Mrs. Blakes, instead of coming with the firemen out of the house decides to burn with the books. This confuses Montag and piques his curiosity to figure out what inside the book could drive someone to die with

After she, her house, and books are hosed with kerosene, the old woman lights a match and sets herself on fire. Montag is deeply disturbed by the image, as he had only heard stories of people who chose to be burned with their books before. This event causes Montag to question reality and his job title. "You weren't hurting anyone, you were only hurting things! And since things really couldn't be hurt, and things don't scream or whimper, as this woman might begin to scream and cry out, there was nothing to tease your conscience later" (Bradbury 36-37).

“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.

In the novel Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury, the firemen burn the most wonderful things books. The main character Guy Montag is one of the main characters that is a fireman. Instead of putting out fires like they do today, they burn any house that has any type of evidence that you have books. They do not care who you are or what you do, they will burn your house if you have them. In the start of the book he is burning the books and just doing what he is told.

Firefighters’ jobs are to burn books and get rid of them without asking any questions. Montag, in the beginning, believes he is happy that he is doing his job and burning all existing books. Later in the novel, he encounters an old lady that is hiding books, and is stubborn enough to refuse to leave her house and books after being confronted by Montag and the firefighters. Montag starts questioning what is so valuable about books, but even Faber says, “It’s not books you need, it’s some of the things that once were in books”(82). Faber is fascinated with the knowledge books have, but is more impressed with the fact that people stopped reading by themselves because of growing technology and propaganda which is what is happening in today’s modern