Fire In Fahrenheit 451 Analysis

In Fahrenheit 451 the fire is shown to reveal a certain character in the book. Most of the society wants all the books to burn and thinks that everyone should be equal. One certain character that fire has a big impact on symboling is Beatty. Beatty said, “Now, Montag, you’re a burden. And fire will lift you off my shoulders, clean, quick, sure; nothing to rot later” (Bradbury 109).

Montag changed his view of fire from entertainment and destruction into cleansing and renewal when an alarm, called by his wife and her friends, 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.

Throughout the novel, Montag tries to bring realization to the people around him and waits for the day that the civilization experiences a rebirth. This corresponds to the symbol of fire. It mirrors the transformation of Montag's choices from killing his boss to burning his house down. The fire was the solution to set Montag free from the bondage of his culture, and without it, a change would not have ensued (1). Once Montag escapes from the city, he discovers a group of men sitting around a fire. It is in this scene that the fire portrays comfort. The metamorphosis that occurs in Montag is symbolized by the fire due to the fact that he is surrounded by a group of men who share his same beliefs. The comfort Montag feels in the fire is similar to the way God is a constant comfort in a Christian's life. In John 14:16, it says "I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever" (NIV). God sets the rules for his people, but He will never leave their side and will always love them unconditionally. A critical altercation becomes obvious when Montag views the fire for the first time in his life as

“It was a pleasure to burn. It was a special pleasure to see things eaten, to see things blackened and changed” (Bradbury 3). Towards the beginning of the novel it is noticeable that fire is praised by the protagonist and those who choose to conform to society’s rules. In this quote in particular, fire is being used as a tool against literature.

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.

Fire represents change in the novel because fire allows Montag to undergo a symbolic change in which he stops using fire to burn knowledge but instead help him find it. Guy uses fire to

As the plot presented itself, fire did also. Fire was used as a solution to get rid of society’s ills. Ills in this society include nonconformity, overflow in wisdom and knowledge, and government doubt or mistrust. They all derived from one common factor: books. Beatty claimed that without books “…all are happy, for there are no mountains to make them cower, to judge themselves against. So! A book is a loaded gun in the house next door” (28). Books were the greatest evil, because it places ideas of controversy and critical thinking into the minds of readers. Explaining to Montag the quick fix to the trouble of books, Beatty said, “And so when houses were finally fireproofed completely, all over the world there was no longer need of firemen for the old purposes. They were given the new job, as custodians of our peace of mind…” (28). As these issues became more and more prominent with time, something to subdue or suppress them was needed. Fire was the answer. So, in their noble position as firemen, Montag and his coworkers destroyed any detected books with fire immediately. This way, residents cannot read them and implant radical ideas. The

In Fahrenheit 451 ,written by Ray Bradbury, the motif of fire, sparks an interest in the reader which pulls them into the life of Guy Montag. In the daily life of Montag, Bradbury portrays the importance of fire in the censored society. From Montag's standpoint the reader gains a clear perspective of the symbolism and importance of fire. Throughout the story fire is used to represent a different emotion or characteristic. At the start of the book fire symbolizes destruction; towards the middle of the book fire is used to represent change and discovering ones identity; and finally at the conclusion of the story fire symbolizes renewal and rebirth.

The dystopian novel Fahrenheit 451 written by author Ray Bradbury in 1953, shows what he speculates the fate of society to be. The novel takes place in the corrupt United States when most people no longer read books and are satisfied only by entertainment. In the novel, the fire has been perceived in many different ways by the main character, Guy Montag, who was once a fireman. Firemen are mindless servants to society, who burn books to maintain censorship and stop people from thinking for themselves. Fire in Fahrenheit 451 has changed multiple times, from the fire being seen as destructive and chaotic to symbolizing rebirth and purifying. Mythological creatures, such as the salamander and Phoenix have influenced the change in the perception of fire.

In the beginning of Fahrenheit 451, Montag loves being a fireman, he loved seeing the books go up in flame. “It was a pleasure to burn” (p.1) he said and would grin a “fierce grin” (p.2) that would stay there for as long as he could remember the burning books. He seemed happy, like he didn’t want anything more, but he soon realizes just how unhappy he is with the job and his life. Montag didn’t

Fire represents pleasure in Part One, Hearth and the Salamander, and this adds to the theme of society. Montag loves to burn houses and books. So fire brings him so much pleasure. “It was a pleasure to burn,” (Page 1, Part 1) Furthermore, “Montag grinned the fierce grin of all men signed and driven back by the flame.” (Page 4, Part 1) Because Montag finds it so much fun to burn houses, it gives him pleasure, so fire

Montag at the beginning of the book is a person that you could love and hate. Montag was a person who loved his job as a firefighter. To Montag he got pleasure out of burning the books. One of Montag's favorite things from burning the books was he would put a marshmallow and put it on a stick and roast it.When Montag's done and goes home he goes to bed with a smile on his face. Then everything changes once he meets Clarisse.

At the beginning of the novel Montag was convinced that “burning” was the solution. He even said “ it was a special pleasure to see things eaten, to see things blackened and changed ”. Throughout the novel he becomes more

Montag was first shown as a person who loves to burn book but, after Montag saw the death of the lady and the books he realizes, “...There must be something in books, things we can’t, to make a woman stay in a burning house…”(Bradbury 48) the government is hiding what books are trying to show us and that is what he’s realizing. He now knows that the truth lies in the book and we’re getting false information, and that is what Bradbury is trying to show us. Montag also knows that firemen were different back then and not what the government is actually showing us. Before the death of the lady he tells Beatty, “Didn’t firemen prevent fires rather than stoke them up and get them going”(Bradbury 31) he finds out from Clarisse the truth of firemen and not what the government is telling us when Beatty reads, “...First Firemen:Benjamin Franklin”(Bradbury 32) to show that firemen were book burners since the beginning in 1790 but. In reality it was to water down

This change is dangerous for Montag, because being a fireman got him closer to books. Books were illegal, possessing them, reading them, even remembering them made other people think they were crazy. The closer he got to books, the more curious he became of them. Two things pushed him over the edge, deaths, the death of Clarisse and a random old woman who burned in her home with her books. This strengthened his curiosity and he started to steal books from the houses he burned.