F451

In the novel Fahrenheit 451, the author Ray Bradbury uses a large amount of figurative language ranging from metaphors, similes, imagery, allusions and so forth to express his ideal focus and tone. The tone in particular expresses the sort of gloomy, melancholy, ignorant world in which the people of Fahrenheit 451 live. And though there are many identifiable themes such as censorship due to the government, advancing technology, etcetera, weaved throughout the book, the overall theme expressed in the pages is the separation between those who were ignorant opposed to those who were knowledgeable, for to be knowledgeable is to have access to everything, whereas to be ignorant, is to have access to nothing. The first example of ignorance vs. knowledge is well seen through a conversations shared between Faber, a retired English professor, and Montag, an ex-fireman who has worked for the government; burning books, for as long as he can remember. In this passage Montag goes to Faber searching for an answer, to understanding why books are so greatly looked down upon by the government /society in which they live. By answering these questions, Faber breaks down the innocent, ignorant mind of Montag, revealing to him the harsh reality of their world. Ultimately Montag is forced to look beyond the life that he has known for so long and see things through a different perspective. In this certain passage, particularly the perspective of a retired english professor, whom dearly treasures his collection of novels. “Do you know why books such as this are so important? Because they have quality. And what does the word quality mean? To me it means texture. This book has pores…So now do you see why books are feared? They show the pores in the face of life. The comfortable people want only wax moon faces, pore-less, hairless, expressionless” (Bradbury 79). The pores of books reveal the truth that the government censors or hides from society, considering it may not be the things that