Fahrenheit 451, By Ray Bradbury

Bradbury uses the phoenix to explain how society and civilizations work on a cycle as they rise and fall. After describing the mythical bird, Bradbury has Granger exclaim, “It looks like we’re doing the same thing, over and over, but we’ve got one damn thing the phoenix never had. We know the damn silly thing we just did” (Bradbury 156). The author is foreshadowing the close of an age, while giving a hint at when the age began. First, Fahrenheit 451’s setting is sometime in the future. The only point of reference is that it is after there have been “two atomic wars since 2022” (Bradbury 69). Like Granger mentions, the phoenix lives for hundreds of years. More specifically, it is believed to have a life cycle of roughly 1,461 years (Lundy 425).

Granger sees the unrelenting cycle of the phoenix and society as futile, but he believes there is a way to end it. He scoffs the phoenix, and the cycle of humanity by calling it a “silly damn bird” that “burnt himself up” (Bradbury 156). He believes the phoenix ultimately leads to its own dead. This is counterintuitive because it eventually revives itself. Consequently, as Granger downplays the significance of the phoenix, he is emphasizing the roll of human potential to create an absolute future. He expects humans will one day be able to remember the past well enough to never want to relive it. Additionally, Granger supports his resolve in mankind by saying that humans “know all the damn silly things we’ve done for a thousand years” (Bradbury 156). As Granger praises mans’ ability to remember, he is setting them apart from the rest of the animals, to include the phoenix. The phoenix dies and is reborn out of instinct, nothing more. However, humans are conscious and ever changing. This sentience, and will power allow mankind to overcome their desires. This will ultimately be why humanity breaks the cycle, and why the phoenix can’t. (Eller & Touponce

Again, the way ahead is proclaimed by Granger, “…we'll build the biggest goddamn steamshovel in history and dig the biggest grave of all time and shove war in and cover it up. Come on now, we're going to go build a mirror factory first and put out nothing but mirrors for the next year and take a long look in them” (Bradbury 157). The mirrors he proposes are both metaphorical and literal. He wishes to eradicate war by creating a society of people who are self-aware. Through this taught self-awareness, much like Montag’s, society will be able to shift into a more peaceful direction. For example, if Mildred had taken a look into a mirror and reflected upon who she was, then it is fair to believe she would have rooted out her unhappiness. This would have allowed her to begin changing her life instead of hiding behind distracting media and sleeping pills. With this quality, the men and women will be able to decide for themselves. Likewise, the books and knowledge which the group of vagabonds possess will function like mirrors for society as a whole. The new information will allow the young civilization to evaluate its actions and decide the path ahead as a group. The mirror metaphor conveys that for mankind to progress it must be aware of what it is doing as an individual and as a society. Without self-awareness at either of those levels, the civilization is