Fire In Fahrenheit 451 By Ray Bradbury

Fire in Fahrenheit 451

Four hundred and fifty one degrees fahrenheit is the temperature in which books burn. This novel, written by Ray Bradbury, is centered around a firefighter, Guy Montag, that starts fires instead of extinguishing them. Montag’s job is to burn books that are seen as a threat to society. But, as the novel depicts, Montag learns the truth of the society he lives in and what the actual threat might be. Besides the fact that it takes fire to burn objects, fire is repeatedly mentioned in the novel as a symbol that goes hand in hand with Montag’s view on the use and meaning of fire. The symbolism behind fire seems to develop as the character of Montag develops. Through Montag’s journey, the meaning behind fire shifts. In the

Beatty seems to be indirectly warning Montag due to his suspicion that Montag had books stashed away. Beatty lists examples of controversial books, such as “Little Black Sambo”, that could offend no one as long as they “burn it” (59). Beatty is basically telling Montag that as long as the books are destroyed, there will be no tension or upset. The riddance of books kept their society calm and their minds clear. Beatty makes the act of burning books seem like a good service. By ridding the world of books thilthy with controversial ideas, they are keeping the world clean. Beatty continues to lecture Montag, “...Forget them. Burn them all, burn everything. Fire is bright and fire is clean” (60). Beatty is trying to remind Montag that fire is the answer to any problem that they might face. Bradbury uses the word “clean” as a way to give the reader an image that associates fire with purification. Bradbury gives fire postive This, once again, is a way that Bradbury uses fire to symbolize cleansing and purification. This idea of fire being pure and clean is largely accepted compared to the perspectives that the other characters, including Montag, have in the