Fahrenheit 451, a dystopian-based novel by Ray Bradbury, the novel is about a man, Guy Montag, living in a world where books are banned. Montag and an old literature professor, Mr. Faber, work together with inspiration from a strange girl, Clarisse, to discover why books are important. “Dover Beach” by Matthew Arnold is a poem that is mentioned in Fahrenheit 451 during the time that Montag reveals his interest in books to his wife, Mildred, and her friends. Both the poem and novel are fantastic pieces of literature that contain similar themes. Although they contrast in several things such as plot, and main idea, they share common themes like true love, man and the natural world, and the loss of humanity. True love, or lack thereof, in Fahrenheit
…show more content…
Man in the natural world is the idea that there is always a nature vs. technology and modernization conflict within the world, and it is up to man to decide which side he is on. An example of man in the natural world in Fahrenheit 451 is when Montag is first introduced to Clarisse and has a glimpse of her strange train of thought. When Montag first meets Clarisse, she tells him that “the rain feels good” and that “[she] loves to walk in it” (Bradbury 21). She then licks her lips and tells him that the “rain even tastes good” (Bradbury 21). This shows how Clarisse represents nature and natural things in the world. Captain Beatty, the fire chief, is a representation of what Clarisse is not. He is the opposite of what Clarisse stands for because he stands on the more technological side of the world. An example of him being for the technology side is when he creates the Mechanical Hound, a metal 8-legged dog that chases down those who disobey the law and injects large amounts of morphine into them. Montag is conflicted with being on the natural world side or the technological and modernized side. Clarisse meant a lot to him, and her natural ways caused Montag to think about his own life. In the beginning of the novel Montag has a great deal of respect for Captain Beatty before their falling out, leading to Captain Beatty’s demise. In the end Montag choses nature over technology. “Dover …show more content…
The loss of humanity in “Dover Beach” is shown when Arnold describes the melancholy in humans and the “turbid ebb and flow of human misery” (Arnold 17-18). Humans, according to Arnold, were like a “sea of faith” (Arnold 21) but are now lacking humanity. Now, humans are merely sitting in an “eternal note of sadness” (Arnold 14). Similarly to “Dover Beach,” the humanity in Montag has slowly deteriorated, just as the tide at shore. Evidence of his loss of humanity is shown when he is pushed to murder Captain Beatty. He never decided if his “hands or Beatty’s reaction to the hands gave him the final push toward murder” (Bradbury 119). A new Montag is created here because the old Montag would never have “[held] a gun on a man and force him to listen to [his] speech” (Bradbury 119). In the beginning, Montag’s humane side is evident because of his concern for both Mildred and Clarisse, as well as his high respect for Captain Beatty. As Montag progresses as a character his humanity begins to leave him, along with his compassion, leading to him murdering Captain
Man in the natural world is the idea that there is always a nature vs. technology and modernization conflict within the world, and it is up to man to decide which side he is on. An example of man in the natural world in Fahrenheit 451 is when Montag is first introduced to Clarisse and has a glimpse of her strange train of thought. When Montag first meets Clarisse, she tells him that “the rain feels good” and that “[she] loves to walk in it” (Bradbury 21). She then licks her lips and tells him that the “rain even tastes good” (Bradbury 21). This shows how Clarisse represents nature and natural things in the world. Captain Beatty, the fire chief, is a representation of what Clarisse is not. He is the opposite of what Clarisse stands for because he stands on the more technological side of the world. An example of him being for the technology side is when he creates the Mechanical Hound, a metal 8-legged dog that chases down those who disobey the law and injects large amounts of morphine into them. Montag is conflicted with being on the natural world side or the technological and modernized side. Clarisse meant a lot to him, and her natural ways caused Montag to think about his own life. In the beginning of the novel Montag has a great deal of respect for Captain Beatty before their falling out, leading to Captain Beatty’s demise. In the end Montag choses nature over technology. “Dover …show more content…
The loss of humanity in “Dover Beach” is shown when Arnold describes the melancholy in humans and the “turbid ebb and flow of human misery” (Arnold 17-18). Humans, according to Arnold, were like a “sea of faith” (Arnold 21) but are now lacking humanity. Now, humans are merely sitting in an “eternal note of sadness” (Arnold 14). Similarly to “Dover Beach,” the humanity in Montag has slowly deteriorated, just as the tide at shore. Evidence of his loss of humanity is shown when he is pushed to murder Captain Beatty. He never decided if his “hands or Beatty’s reaction to the hands gave him the final push toward murder” (Bradbury 119). A new Montag is created here because the old Montag would never have “[held] a gun on a man and force him to listen to [his] speech” (Bradbury 119). In the beginning, Montag’s humane side is evident because of his concern for both Mildred and Clarisse, as well as his high respect for Captain Beatty. As Montag progresses as a character his humanity begins to leave him, along with his compassion, leading to him murdering Captain