Mirrors In Fahrenheit 451

“Never trust a mirror,' his mother had told him. 'They never tell the truth unless you make them.” Isobelle Carmody wrote this line in her book Greylands to show the connection between man and mirror and to provide understanding of one’s view of their life. Mirrors play large roles in many novels from many different times. Dating to the 1950s and farther back. Many authors include the symbol and presence of mirrors in their stories to show how the characters see themselves. These authors include American writer, Ray Bradbury. In Ray Bradbury’s novel, Fahrenheit 451, he uses many different symbols to represent the world surrounding the protagonist, Guy Montag. Firefighter Guy Montag lives in a bland, numb society where books are seen as dangerous
to the minds of the people and are bathed with flames to prevent curious eyes trying to read them. His job requires him to find the books and set them ablaze to prevent others from reading them, which he does without hesitation. Guy’s curiosity gets the best of him, and he steals a book from an unusual call. It begins a spiral of events and his entire life changes due to a simple question and a single book. Mirrors are an important symbol that guides Montag through his journey while reflecting on his choices. Montag’s entire life, at one point or another, is reflected back to him through the mirror, showing him the truth of the world around him. In all actuality, mirrors do not only share the truth; they can present a false reality that one might believe for the sheer reason being that there is no other readily comprehensible explanation.