Ray Bradbury uses many forms of symbolism in his book Fahrenheit 451, but two of the biggest symbols are represented through fire and the phoenix. Fire has more than one meaning in this novel, and it is viewed as dangerous throughout most of the novel. But as the story continues, the reader sees that it can mean so much more. The phoenix bird has symbolized immortality, but for the people in Fahrenheit 451, their only hope was that the phoenix would be burn out, and be reborn again. The myth of the phoenix gave Guy Montag hope that his dying world would be burnt down and soon rise again from the ashes. These two symbols represent not just destruction and death, but also construction, rebirth, and knowledge. For both the firefighters as well as Montag and his hobo clan, fire symbolizes cleansing. Captain Beatty believes that fire can destroy anything and make problems disappear. He says that they should "Forget them. Burn all, burn everything. Fire is bright and fire is clean". When Montag sets Beatty on fire he too is attempting to clean something. To him, Beatty symbolizes the whole society that burns books. By burning Beatty and his house, Montag makes it clear he is ready to change and that he wants to cleanse the evil society. When Montag joins the group of “hobos”, he discovers that fire does not only represent destruction but in this instance protection. The campfire in the woods that the hobos ignited provided warmth for them. It was essential for their survival. The phoenix in Fahrenheit 451 symbolizes change, just like fire does. When Montag is forced to set his own house on fire, an opportunity for Montag to turn around becomes present. From the ashes of his burnt house Montag arises as a new person, similar to what a phoenix does in rises as a new bird. After the bombing of the city, Granger mentions the phoenix and how it symbolizes rebirth. But unlike the phoenix, Granger remarks that the people have the knowledge of what they were doing wrong before everything was burnt down and from that knowledge they can build up a new, better society. The people in Fahrenheit 451 undergo many forms of censorship, one being that they are reduced to mindlessly watching screens rather than gaining knowledge from books.It takes the whole city being burned down in order to destroy the over-authoritized government in Fahrenheit 451. Before being burned, the people of that society lived their lives completely censored by their government. By when the city is turned to ash, an opportunity to change their society arises.Just like the phoenix rises with new life from the ashes of its old life, the city rises from the ash with an opportunity for new life.
You May Also Find These Documents Helpful
-
This fire provides him warmth, and it is the first fire he has enjoyed. It turns out that this fire belongs to Granger and his group, who take Montag in, feed him, and tell him about their theory of being able to memorize entire works of literature. Montag travels with them for a while, but one night, Montag has a vision of his wife. Mildred is in a hotel room, watching her television as the city is bombed. In the morning, the city is reduced to rubble, and Montag, Granger, and the rest travel to the city to make a new life for themselves.…
- 900 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
Fire is one of the many symbols represented in Fahrenheit 451. Fire can be observed as both renewal and destruction. The biggest reference to fire is at the end of the novel when Granger explains to Montag the meaning and existence of the Phoenix. Granger explains that every few hundred years, a Phoenix will appear and burn himself to ashes. The Phoenix would then spring out from the ashes to be born again. Granger compares this reference to mankind and how it destroys himself, only to be rebuilt. The Phoenix is a symbol of renewal.…
- 306 Words
- 2 Pages
Good Essays -
Ray Bradbury’s timeless classic, Fahrenheit 451, is divided into three sections. The title of each section has a meaning relevant to the story. The first section being, “The Hearth and the Salamander” also has a significance. When fire was first discovered, it was used for good things, like for warmth, cooking food, etc. for those people, fire was essentially a savior, and it represented comfort and survival. Hence, the hearth also represents how fire was formerly used and seen as good. The hearth, also a traditional symbol of the home, represents Montag’s home life, his relationship with Mildred, the parlor, and Clarisse. At the start of Fahrenheit 451 the hearth, or fireplace, is know for giving warmth and goodness. In the beginning of the novel, fire is described as positive and non-destructive.…
- 790 Words
- 2 Pages
Good Essays -
Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury, is a book set in a dystopian future. It revolves around Guy Montag, a fireman whose job is to burn books, which are forbidden. After talking with Clarisse, a weird girl who lives nearby, he begins to question his life’s work. Why are books so bad? One thing leads to another, and Guy is suddenly takes dangerous steps to save what he once burned.…
- 493 Words
- 2 Pages
Satisfactory Essays -
In Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, the presence of fire has obvious significance. What is important to look at, however, is how it’s meaning evolves throughout the book. As Guy Montag’s views change on society and the world around him, so does the connotation of fire. First, the fire represents power, and the satisfaction that comes with it. Then, as Montag is exposed to more radical thinking, the meaning evolves into violence and destruction. By the end of the novel, the image of fire symbolizes hope, as he works with Faber, and the book people to restore society.…
- 625 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
Imagine the hardships that would occur if your life was turned around in the blink of an eye. This happens to Mildred in the novel Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury and Mary in the short story, “Lamb to the Slaughter” by Roald Dahl. The similarities between Mary and Mildred are impressive and they are worthy of detailed examination. This paper will focus on how they both had their life turned upside down, how they betray their husbands, and how they are groomed to represent their society. These three similarities stand out and should be looked at more carefully.…
- 957 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
Fahrenheit 451, a novel by Ray Bradbury, presents an apocalyptic future that is centered on an immensely powerful government whose citizens live without freedom of speech, literature, the right to question authority, and the resources they need to be educated. This formidable future exposed in Fahrenheit 451 might one day exist, because there are some countries such as Cuba and North Korea that already have really strong governments that are taking rights away from their citizens, and preventing them from getting knowledge and accurate news.…
- 1006 Words
- 5 Pages
Good Essays -
According to ancient Greek mythology, it is Prometheus who first gives man fire. He defies Zeus and the other gods by doing so. His seemingly simple act starts immense change and destruction, which eventually results in Prometheus’ own suffering. Similarly, Ray Bradbury’s novel Fahrenheit 451 uses the dangerous element as a symbol. Fire is a recurring motif of the book and appears with Montag when there is trouble or change. By examining the novel and its deeper meaning, Bradbury provides the reader with two different meanings of fire: the element represents both powerful destruction and beautiful creation. After all, destruction cannot exist without creation, and life cannot exist without death.…
- 1058 Words
- 5 Pages
Good Essays -
To some people knowledge is what powers society to new heights, to others however knowledge is just another word in the english language. There is a distinct difference between these two types of people making it so easy to compare and contrast them in many aspects. Fahrenheit 451 shows these two people in the world at an ongoing battle between each other which sets it up for quite the conflict. In Fahrenheit 451 Bradbury conveys that knowledge supersedes ignorance through Clarisse changing Montag, Montag getting Mrs Bowles out of his house, and showing the effects of television to society in negative ways.…
- 892 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
All things considered, fire is of a big significance to this novel. Fire is Montag’s job, his enemy, but also what saves him. He surrounds himself with the disagreement of this element and changes as his wisdom grows. It seems that fire transforms into its own character due to its effect on others. This novel makes you realize that things in life can be beautiful or…
- 639 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
When I finished reading this book, I realized that it was nothing like I assumed it would be. To summarize it into one word, I would say it was fascinating. Now many might wonder, why would I use the word fascinating? When you think about the society that Montag lives in, obviously it seems a little extreme to us but is it really so farfetched? The author came up with the idea of this book because there was once a time that book burning was happening more frequently in America. The title of the book, Fahrenheit 451, refers to the temperature at which books ignite, which I did not realize before reading the book. “Burning books—and in the past, their authors as well—that espouse hated ideas is perhaps the oldest form of censorship” (2).…
- 814 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
In Ray Bradbury’s novel Fahrenheit 451, life loses meaning from the impersonal and muted lifestyle that society offers. The annihilation of books provides the stable environment where ignorance can win over curiosity, leaving innocence in ones mind. When Montag meets Clarisse McClellan, his neighbor with an essence of unusual quality, she introduces a new perspective of life into Montag’s eyes for the first time. From the way she looks at the trees, to the way she walks, something inside of her possess a ravenous urge to learn and explore. Clarisse fascinates Montag almost immediately for she communicates clearly, “Isn’t this a nice time of night to walk?…
- 749 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
"It was like coming into the cold marbled room of a mausoleum after the moon had set. Complete darkness, not a hint of the silver world outside, the windows tightly shut, the chamber a tomb world where no sound from the great city should penetrate “(9). Throughout Ray Bradbury’s novel, Fahrenheit 451, there are multiple instances of deep, meaningful imagery as presented in the preceding sentence. Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 is a dystopian novel which is set in a futuristic American society. The main character, Guy Montag, is a firefighter but not just any firefighter. In this future world books are burned, and the firefighters are responsible for burning books. Between the use of metaphors and similes Bradbury illustrates and embeds a clear…
- 1033 Words
- 5 Pages
Good Essays -
Bradbury uses symbolism to indicate that relationships reflect who individuals are and who they want to be. Fire seems to mean a lot of different things at different moments in Fahrenheit 451. Beatty and his fireman minions use it to destroy. But the woman whose house they burn interprets it another way: "Play the man, Master Ridley; we shall this day light such a candle, by God's grace, in England, as I trust shall never be put out." For her, it represents strength. Montag himself discovers an alternative use for fire at the end of the novel; when he realizes that it can warm instead of destroy. Like that whole cycle of life thing, fire has a constructive and destructive half. And like the books that are burned, each character in the novel is forced to interpret for them and confront contradictory perspectives – just like Beatty said about the books. Symbolism helps view the story from multiple points of view, and also gives a more vivid understanding of the thoughts and feelings of the characters.…
- 656 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
The word great has many meanings – outstanding, eminent, grand, important, extraordinary, noble, etc. - and varies along with the intent of the speaker and on the interpretation of the hearer. Someone may perceive something as great, and yet someone else may see that same thing as horrendous. The greatness of a being is not determined by themselves, but by those around them who experience, and perceive, their greatness through actions and words. In the book, “The Great Gatsby”, written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, it is the narrator, Nick, who judges Gatsby as a great person with a “gorgeous” personality. It is his way of perceiving Gatsby that leads us to also find him “great”. Gatsby, through his actions, his dreams and…
- 1124 Words
- 5 Pages
Better Essays