Pythagoras, an ancient Greek philosopher once said, “Concern should drive us into action and not into a depression. No man is free who cannot control himself.” This is portrayed in Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 (Simon and Schuster Inc, 1951). Montag is a book-burning firefighter in a utopian American civilization. In his world, individuals live in a backward society that turns its back on all forms of knowledge, especially books. Guy Montag meets a friendly 17-year-old girl, Clarisse McClellan, who gives Montag a different outlook on books. When Clarisse dies, Montag falls into despair, rebelling against the law as a coping mechanism. Through the use of symbolism, Bradbury argues that censorship is overly used when control is needed.
Censorship and control are displayed through Montag's wife, Mildred. Realizing Mildred’s change in personality,
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Beatty explains to Montag, “‘Once, books appealed to a few people, here, there, everywhere. They could afford to be different. The world was roomy. But then the world got full of eyes and elbows and mouths,’” (Bradbury 84). Later, Beatty explains how Firemen were designated to aid, and says, “‘They were given the new job … of being inferior; official censors, judges, and executors,’” (Bradbury 88). Once the book has been burned, many people resume their normal life. They begin to announce their reviews and highlight accurate points. It is necessary for the government to affirm its dominance, and select firefighters to help. Firefighters symbolize censorship because they are used to instigate and carry out government control through the destruction of books. Instead of needing firefighters to save residences from being burned, firefighters are ordered to burn houses containing books. Firefighters and their actions describe how Bradbury uses symbolism to show that restrictions are in place when control is