Aiden Leung Mr. Cipro English 9 GT Allusions and Consequences in a Dystopian Narrative Ray Bradbury's remarkable novel Fahrenheit 451, dives into captivating allusions, each with deep significance and inviting readers to a dystopian world with great symbolism and hidden meanings. It is a story about the burning of books in a dystopian society, including many allusions referencing the Bible, poetry, and Greek mythology. Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451 employs the allusion to the story of Icarus, and comparing it with Guy Montag reveals how both protagonists' refusal to heed their mentors' advice leads to grave outcomes. In the story about Icarus, his father, Daedalus, instructs Icarus with crucial directions to be cautious when flying near the …show more content…
The guidance given to Montag and Icarus is critical as whether they decide to follow it has life or death significance. However, both overlook the advice and choose to follow what they think is truly right and best for them, Montag defying the rules of his society and Icarus ignoring the caution given to him, both characters being utterly ignorant about the advice of their mentors. Moreover, the negligence of advice from Montag and Icarus, such as Icarus defying his father, who informs him not to fly close to the sun, and the neglect of Beatty's caution by Montag causes extreme consequences. Beatty even warns Montag that "if he hasn't burned it by then" meaning the stolen books, he will come to burn them for him as Montag is being too ambitious with his books, and if Montag does not stop, Beatty will put an end to it instead (Bradbury 62). The repercussions Montag and Icarus face from their rashness are both very severe, as it causes Icarus to die and Montag to lose everything. The wax on Icarus' wings melts, resulting in him losing the ability to fly, forcing him to plunge into the ocean and