Similarities Between Fahrenheit 451 And A Man May Make A Remark

Both Emily Dickinson in her poem “A Man may make a Remark” and Ray Bradbury in his novel Fahrenheit 451 develop the theme that a movement can start from the smallest remark. It reminds us that everyone has the ability to make a change in society, but they must have a thought-out plan and an open mind to do so. Dickinson opens her poem with the lines “A Man may make Remark-/In itself- a quiet thing” (1-2). The remark symbolizes the start of a movement and she personifies it because doing this the remark sounds more powerful, and it can take on a life of its own. In the novel Fahrenheit 451 one of the characters in the beginning, Clarisse, makes a remark to the protagonist, Guy Montag asking the question, “Are you happy?” (Bradbury 7). Before

Wondering why Clarssie would even ask, of course he’s happy because he has been so brainwashed by his society. This remark causes him to think back on his life and he starts to wonder if he is truly happy not just what his society defines as happy. This question sits with him through the rest of part 1. Next Dickinson writes that the remark “may furnish the fuse unto a Spark” (3), meaning that the remark by itself is not much, but once it gains momentum with the right context and circumstance it can become something greater. As the question that Clarisse asked sits with him he goes home and sees his wife dead and calls the Emergany hospital when two handymen come and pump her stomach. Montag’s spark for his hatred of their society is lit, thinking “Strangers come and cut your heart… and take your blood. Good God, who were those men? I never saw them before in my life!” (16). Dickinson also believes that this spark is “In dormant nature-lain”(4) meaning that the spark to make change is lying in all of us juspended or slowed down. This applies to Montag in the novel because he has been a fireman for 10 years fitting well into society and is complacent but he has the ideas and beliefs for change in him before he makes any actual

When she “said something about the moon [he] looked at the moon” (21). Dickinson cautions the reader to “divide-with skill-/[and] discourse-with -care” (5-6) which means a person cannot just say anything and expect change to happen they have to have a plan and know how to use their words effectively to make change happen. In the novel, Faber teaches Montag to slow down, think deeply, and question everything. This helps Montag develop his own ideas and beliefs to become an active participant in his own life. He learns from Faber's guidance the importance of knowledge and the need for a society that values independence through creativity. Faber says that what society needs is “ quality of information… leisure to digest [information]” and “the right to carry out actions based on what we learned from the first two” (81). Dickinson’s last two lines read “Powder exists in Charcoal-/Before it exists in Fire”(7-8) reinforcing the idea that the power people have to make change is always there and stays dormant till lit.In the novel, the Charcoal symbolizes Montag’s journey in the beginning how his spark to make change is