A Revolutionary Pyromaniac In Ray Bradbury's, Fahrenheit 451 he uses a series of powerful symbols in order to give the plot a much deeper meaning. He refines the theme of the story by using symbols such as the hearth, salamander, the sieve, the sand and the Phoenix. Ray Bradbury essentially reveals the cyclical nature of mankind and their capabilities of utopian creation versus dystopian destruction. In Fahrenheit 451, fire symbolizes destruction, knowledge and as well as self-awareness. The title of Part one in Fahrenheit 451, “The Hearth and The Salamander” is used to symbolize fire as a sanctuary in which one can find comfort. It also implies that the salamander, a mythological creature
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This is the first time that Montag associates the flame he senses from Clarisse not as destructive but something that can radiate off someone. This first different interpretation of fire sparks the idea of independent thinking and a glimpse of the fact that fire doesn’t have to be destructive. The title of Part two “The Sieve and The Sand” is taken from Montag's memory of when he was a child and he was trying to fill a sieve with sand in order to receive a dime from his mischievous cousin. He compares this event to his situation in the subway when he is trying to quickly read the Bible and soak in as much information as possible but it is equivalent to filling a sieve with sand. The sand is ultimately the truth that Montag had been seeking and the sieve essentially is the human mind seeking elusive information. Deits makes an excellent observation within the novel that “books … very physical existence evokes a rich cultural tradition antithetical to the leveling tendencies of the mass media” which explains Montag’s captivation for the bible since it is a far cry from how mass media represents
This is the first time that Montag associates the flame he senses from Clarisse not as destructive but something that can radiate off someone. This first different interpretation of fire sparks the idea of independent thinking and a glimpse of the fact that fire doesn’t have to be destructive. The title of Part two “The Sieve and The Sand” is taken from Montag's memory of when he was a child and he was trying to fill a sieve with sand in order to receive a dime from his mischievous cousin. He compares this event to his situation in the subway when he is trying to quickly read the Bible and soak in as much information as possible but it is equivalent to filling a sieve with sand. The sand is ultimately the truth that Montag had been seeking and the sieve essentially is the human mind seeking elusive information. Deits makes an excellent observation within the novel that “books … very physical existence evokes a rich cultural tradition antithetical to the leveling tendencies of the mass media” which explains Montag’s captivation for the bible since it is a far cry from how mass media represents