Montag's Rebirth In 'Fahrenheit 451'

One theme of Fahrenheit 451 is that of rebirth. The majority of the story shows the protagonist, Montag, trying to change his ways along with the ways of society. Towards the end of the novel Montag escapes the authorities by floating down a river. While heading downstream he feels as if he is being cleansed of his past life and all that he had done. The story ends with bombs destroying civilization and Montag along with others going to reeducate the survivors with books. This would mean that they are completely ridding themselves of the old ways of society and moving on to a more educated and social future. One member of the group planning to reeducate the people then tells the story of the phoenix rising from the ashes, which seems to summarize