Vocabulary Enricher Book- In the novel, books are more than we know them as, but are a powerful symbol for freedom of knowledge and freedom of speech. They are used and coveted in such a way that they are supposed to be seen as a way for the characters to be free of their oppressive government. The way the government treats the books and the people who own them is similar to the people who hid banded books in Nazis Germany, and were persecuted like the books inhabitants. Fire- In the book, fire is meant to be a symbol for control and obliteration of free speech. Fire is used to destroy all forms control the people might have, in this case books, and to maintain a tight grip on the society by doing so and leaving them in fear of disobeying …show more content…
It can also be used as a way to control the people. They are essentially wireless earbuds that transmit signals and messages that are government approved to keep the residents happy, and by doing so compliant. We see Montag use them to find out about the police looking for him in this passage, ‘Montag jammed his Seashell into his ear: / “Police suggest the entire population… The fugitive cannot escape if everyone in the next minute looks from his house. Ready!”’ (Bradbury. III. 138. 19-24). This shows how the government uses them to access the people’s lives easily and can get them to do what they …show more content…
In the book when Montag first sees the scholars by the campfire he thinks, “The small motion, the white and red colour, a / strange fire because it meant a different thing to him. / It was not burning. It was warming” (Bradbury. III. 145. 31-33). This passage shows that warming in the books case, is meant to show something restorative, friendly, helpful, and life giving all in one word. It shows how it is the complete opposite of the destruction and hurt burning causes, since it can draw people together and help start Montag anew. River- This is another word from the novel that is very symbolic. It is supposed to represent a path to a new life, or a new beginning. The whole section in the river is when Montag starts to imagine his new life and the possibilities that are instore for him. It is meant to show how the river cleanses and provides an opportunity to start over. This is similar to how the ancient Egyptians saw the Nial River as life giving and as a way for new life to grow just like it does for