Allusions In Fahrenheit 451

Cash Tieman

Daniel Reitz

15 February 2023

Bradbury’s Use of Intellectual Allusions in Fahrenheit 451

Bradbury’s intellectual meanings behind Fahrenheit 451 can be understood through the analysis of allusions in the novel. References and quotes are pulled from various texts, historical events, as well as mythology such as; Shakespeare, the explosion of Pompeii, and the tale of Icarus. Without prior apprehension of these sources, a large amount of Bradbury’s intended, more profound meanings are missed. In the 1953 dystopian novel Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, his addition of allusions emphasizes the power of knowledge and the importance of critical thinking in a society that values conformity and restriction, highlighting the significance of

He alludes to Shakespeare's play Julius Caesar when he writes, "The books are to remind us what asses and fools we are. They're Caesar's praetorian guard, whispering as the parade roars down the avenue, 'Remember, Caesar, thou art mortal'" (82). Caesar, similar to Montag, drunk with power and impulse, has to be reminded the possible consequences of drastic actions. Faber highlights the humanity of mistakes, which is applicable to Montag’s plans and leads Montag to have more faith and trust in Faber. Moreover, the quote "We cannot tell the precise moment when friendship is formed. As in filling a vessel drop by drop, there is at last a drop which makes it run over; so in a series of kindnesses there is at least one which makes the heart run over," (67) from The Life of Samuel Johnson highlights the significance of human relationships and emotional connections, and was used to show the impact of Clarisse’s “drop” on Montag. The added meanings from these allusions can only be understood through previous knowledge of these outside texts, showing how powerful and representative the addition of these allusions are to a story based on

Regarding the Nazi book burnings, the entire premise of the story is based on burning of books due to containing ideas that could provide citizens with knowledge and provoke critical thinking, a threat to enforced conformity. Similarly, in Germany circa 1933, “university students in college towns across Germany burned thousands of books they considered to be “un-German,” heralding an era of state censorship and cultural control,” (United States Holocaust Memorial Museum). He also adds an allusion to the explosion of Pompeii, “He was eating a light supper at nine in the evening when the front door cried out in the hall and Mildred ran from the parlor like a native fleeing an eruption of Vesuvius,” (89). The mention of a historical event such as this adds to the importance of preserving knowledge as this allusion would make no sense to those who may not know or remember. Additionally, Bradbury mentioned in an interview, “When I wrote my novel Fahrenheit 451 during the years from 1949 to 1953, we were living at the heart of what is known now as the McCarthy era. We were very close to panic and wholesale book burning,” (Moore). Bradbury references the anxiety and paranoia felt in the United States throughout the Red Scare period, and the fear of foreign, pro-communist information infiltrating America.. Many younger readers that may lack knowledge of the McCarthy era would not be able to make