How Did The Fire Change In Fahrenheit 451

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In Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury makes a very prominent symbol that changes along with Montag throughout the book. In the beginning, fire is the way the government censors information. As the story progresses, the meaning of fire changes to a softer, healing meaning. Finally, at the end of the book, fire represents rebirth, and starting anew. In Fahrenheit 451, fire takes on new meanings, and changes with the story. First of all, fire begins in the book as a symbol of censorship. Fire is used by the government to burn books, and censor information from the past. This allows the government to feed its citizens false information without any fear of repercussions.. For example, Montag says to Clarisse, “Houses have always been fireproof, take my word for it.” (8). Of course, this isn’t true, but the only source of information Montag has is the government. The citizens blindly believe in everything that the …show more content…
The city has been obliterated, the government destroyed, and the remaining people are contemplating what to do next. This fire is the cycle of rebirth and of starting over. The book people now have the chance to try to rebuild society the right way, without the mistakes of the previous society. When relating their situation to a phoenix who burns and starts over, Granger says, “We know all the damn silly things we’ve done for a thousand years,” (163). This is humanity's chance to create a better society, literally from the ground up. Using their knowledge of the past, Montag and the others can avoid the mistakes of their predecessors. In conclusion, fire is a symbol that changes over the course of the story. While it begins as a symbol for censorship and destruction, it soon changes to represent healing. Finally, the story ends by creating a new beginning for humanity. Inside of Fahrenheit 451 Ray Bradbury has written a complex, intriguing story, and within that story fire plays a key

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