Fire is a basic human necessity. It's capable of both devastation and sustaining life. With its various uses, fire’s symbolic meaning is difficult to grasp right away. To some, fire symbolizes destruction and death, while it can symbolize passion, knowledge and comfort to others. Ray Bradbury successfully portrays the uncertainty of fire’s symbolism in Fahrenheit 451, as Montag’s mental transformation and relationship to society changes his understanding of fire; believing first that fire is simply a destructive force, to slowly understanding the comforting and unifying nature of fire, and also the freedom it can provide to some individuals. .
Bradbury begins the novel using fire as a destructive force, starting with Montag burning books. The …show more content…
It was a pleasure to see things eaten, to see things blackened and changed.” And while the society sees burning as a pleasure, it also embodies knowledge being stripped and individualism as firemen, “out books and the freedom of thought that books represent.” In his description of the burning process, Bradbury uses words such as “venomous” and “death” to show the true nature behind Montag’s profession, and while it brought him joy, his actions were destructive. Burning is also the most irreversible method of destruction, causing the complete destruction of whatever is burned.This way, the use of fire to get rid of books shows the intense desire of this society to completely remove the ideas and knowledge that books may influence on others. In this society, where ignorance is bliss and the fear of unhappiness controls all aspects of life, people believe that their destructive fire “is bright and…clean”, because it is used as a way to keep them stupidly mindless and “happy.” Although fire itself used to be feared, it is now used because of that fear, as the destruction of fire also embodies the devastating nature of this society and the …show more content…
Montag begins to understand the renewing and hopeful emotions that fire can provide, therefore giving symbolism to fire with himself. When he escapes to the river, the refreshing power of water stomps out the overwhelming fire of the thoughtless society from his past, and he is able to journey away from that and discover himself and actually listen to his own ideas and thoughts for once. In fact, upon escaping the city and finding the group of “book people,” Montag discovers a new type of fire he had never known, one that, “was not burning… it was warming” (Bradbury 145). The men gather around the fire in camaraderie and comfort, both of which never would have been recognized in his past society. He had never known the positive influences of fire, he only partook in the negative inflictions it caused, the one responsible for killing Mildred, Beatty and Faber. Montag is given a new kind of hope that this new kind of warming could somehow bring about a new way of living for him and his peers, ultimately creating a whole new world for him to live in. That is something Montag could never have confidence in before, so this new fire is relieving to him. The evidence that change is coming boosts Montag’s confidence in completing his mission that will lead to the rebirth of a new Montag who is free to
Bradbury begins the novel using fire as a destructive force, starting with Montag burning books. The …show more content…
It was a pleasure to see things eaten, to see things blackened and changed.” And while the society sees burning as a pleasure, it also embodies knowledge being stripped and individualism as firemen, “out books and the freedom of thought that books represent.” In his description of the burning process, Bradbury uses words such as “venomous” and “death” to show the true nature behind Montag’s profession, and while it brought him joy, his actions were destructive. Burning is also the most irreversible method of destruction, causing the complete destruction of whatever is burned.This way, the use of fire to get rid of books shows the intense desire of this society to completely remove the ideas and knowledge that books may influence on others. In this society, where ignorance is bliss and the fear of unhappiness controls all aspects of life, people believe that their destructive fire “is bright and…clean”, because it is used as a way to keep them stupidly mindless and “happy.” Although fire itself used to be feared, it is now used because of that fear, as the destruction of fire also embodies the devastating nature of this society and the …show more content…
Montag begins to understand the renewing and hopeful emotions that fire can provide, therefore giving symbolism to fire with himself. When he escapes to the river, the refreshing power of water stomps out the overwhelming fire of the thoughtless society from his past, and he is able to journey away from that and discover himself and actually listen to his own ideas and thoughts for once. In fact, upon escaping the city and finding the group of “book people,” Montag discovers a new type of fire he had never known, one that, “was not burning… it was warming” (Bradbury 145). The men gather around the fire in camaraderie and comfort, both of which never would have been recognized in his past society. He had never known the positive influences of fire, he only partook in the negative inflictions it caused, the one responsible for killing Mildred, Beatty and Faber. Montag is given a new kind of hope that this new kind of warming could somehow bring about a new way of living for him and his peers, ultimately creating a whole new world for him to live in. That is something Montag could never have confidence in before, so this new fire is relieving to him. The evidence that change is coming boosts Montag’s confidence in completing his mission that will lead to the rebirth of a new Montag who is free to