Interpretation of the narrative structure of Fahrenheit 451
The image that comes to mind when you hear the word fire is not the same for every person. One might recall a cool night sitting by a bon fire with family keeping warm and roasting marshmallows. While others will relate the word fire to a house bursting into flames that took away everything they have, and another person will immediately recall wildfires that destroy everything in their path. Ray Bradbury the author of Fahrenheit 451, uses fire as a symbol to represent an important journey of the main character, Guy Montag. The other characters, Clarisse, Mildred, Captain Beatty, Professor Faber, and Granger all offer Montag guidance along the way. Bradbury uses the interactions with …show more content…
She then lights a match that ignites a fire burning her house, books, and herself. The woman did not allow the firemen to start this fire. This is a significant turning point for Montag and is the beginning of the climax. Montag has been confiscating books from the houses and hiding them at his home for the past year. Upon witnessing someone die for their books, he decides that books must contain something very valuable and he can no longer deny his strong desire to read and discover for himself what that is. The next day Montag stays home from work. Captain Beatty’s suspicion is intensifying, as he has experienced this situation before, and surprises Montag with a home visit. Captain Beatty explains to Montag, “We [the firemen] stand against the small tide of those who want to make everyone unhappy with conflicting theory and thought” (Bradbury and Gaiman 59). Beatty is trying to convince Montag that their job as firemen is important in keeping the society happy and it is those who want to learn and question the way things are, or were in the past, causes a ripple in society. Captain Beatty also explains to Montag that when a fireman takes a book out of curiosity, then they can keep it for twenty-four hours, and then either that person on the other firemen will burn it (Bradbury and Gaiman 59). Beatty is confident that Montag has taken a book and is letting him know that it is okay. Once Captain Beatty …show more content…
The resolution/denouement develops when Montag successfully eludes the dog and helicopters that were tracking him, enabling him to encounter the warm fire at the camping sight of the men in the woods. The group invited Montag to join them. Granger, the leader of the group, helps Montag to understand their beliefs, he explains to Montag, “We are book burners too. We read the books and burnt them, afraid they would be found.” It is important to understand that the act of burning books does not mean that the knowledge is lost, for if people read them, they will be able to pass that knowledge on to others. Granger says to Montag, “All we want to do is keep the knowledge we think we will need, intact and safe” (Bradbury and Gaiman 145). Granger is explaining that it is not their intention to control others. They have found a peaceful way to preserve history and believe that one day people will begin to think for themselves and have a desire to learn again. Remembering is the most important thing that each of them can do for now, and it is the safest way to ensure that books will have the opportunity to resurface in the future. They all return to the city the morning after the bombing, in hopes of one day, restoring
The image that comes to mind when you hear the word fire is not the same for every person. One might recall a cool night sitting by a bon fire with family keeping warm and roasting marshmallows. While others will relate the word fire to a house bursting into flames that took away everything they have, and another person will immediately recall wildfires that destroy everything in their path. Ray Bradbury the author of Fahrenheit 451, uses fire as a symbol to represent an important journey of the main character, Guy Montag. The other characters, Clarisse, Mildred, Captain Beatty, Professor Faber, and Granger all offer Montag guidance along the way. Bradbury uses the interactions with …show more content…
She then lights a match that ignites a fire burning her house, books, and herself. The woman did not allow the firemen to start this fire. This is a significant turning point for Montag and is the beginning of the climax. Montag has been confiscating books from the houses and hiding them at his home for the past year. Upon witnessing someone die for their books, he decides that books must contain something very valuable and he can no longer deny his strong desire to read and discover for himself what that is. The next day Montag stays home from work. Captain Beatty’s suspicion is intensifying, as he has experienced this situation before, and surprises Montag with a home visit. Captain Beatty explains to Montag, “We [the firemen] stand against the small tide of those who want to make everyone unhappy with conflicting theory and thought” (Bradbury and Gaiman 59). Beatty is trying to convince Montag that their job as firemen is important in keeping the society happy and it is those who want to learn and question the way things are, or were in the past, causes a ripple in society. Captain Beatty also explains to Montag that when a fireman takes a book out of curiosity, then they can keep it for twenty-four hours, and then either that person on the other firemen will burn it (Bradbury and Gaiman 59). Beatty is confident that Montag has taken a book and is letting him know that it is okay. Once Captain Beatty …show more content…
The resolution/denouement develops when Montag successfully eludes the dog and helicopters that were tracking him, enabling him to encounter the warm fire at the camping sight of the men in the woods. The group invited Montag to join them. Granger, the leader of the group, helps Montag to understand their beliefs, he explains to Montag, “We are book burners too. We read the books and burnt them, afraid they would be found.” It is important to understand that the act of burning books does not mean that the knowledge is lost, for if people read them, they will be able to pass that knowledge on to others. Granger says to Montag, “All we want to do is keep the knowledge we think we will need, intact and safe” (Bradbury and Gaiman 145). Granger is explaining that it is not their intention to control others. They have found a peaceful way to preserve history and believe that one day people will begin to think for themselves and have a desire to learn again. Remembering is the most important thing that each of them can do for now, and it is the safest way to ensure that books will have the opportunity to resurface in the future. They all return to the city the morning after the bombing, in hopes of one day, restoring