Symbolism is an excellent tool for an author to use to reference or illustrate a particular subject without directly saying what the subject is. Examples of symbols include fire, a specific animal, an object, or even the weather to illustrate an idea within a literary work. Ray Bradbury 's Fahrenheit 451 uses many symbols to illustrate what the characters within the novel are thinking and feeling. Fire, the Bible, snakes, and the government itself are symbols used to convey messages within the book that relate to the reader such as tying in to a certain set of beliefs or being controlled themselves. Fire within the book works with two specific purposes, dealing with destruction and reconstruction. Fire itself is symbolic in nature, from its
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The controlling power of the city advocates censorship to avoid letting things slip out that would destroy their hold over the city. Books are considered junk and should not be read, "Loud music, fast cars, and the television all create a universe to where people do not have time to think and concentrate" (Reid). This is exceptionally true in the era that the novel takes place in, given that no one has the time to sit down and read a good novel. "While it is not clear why books are banned, the freedom to read is challenged" (Reid). The idea of censorship in this novel is similar to what the Chinese have done with the elusive Tank Man story. The comparisons set up in censorship illustrate that if one object of media is banned, another would be affected as well, in this case, the internet and global media. Bradbury 's censoring of the television isn 't so much as cutting out something that should not be shown to the public, but that it uses programs that make a person care only about what is shown next. Watching television is a mindless activity and has no meaning. Violence is another form of censorship used to cut off what people either know or see. Hollier points out in his article comparison of Fahrenheit 451 and Caroll 's novel French Literary Fascism that "Violence used in Bradbury 's novel illustrates that people have not only envy, but ignorant intolerance of others who are considered smarter than them." Violence in the novel makes the people who have read a book stay silent rather than voice their opinion out of fear for retribution from their attackers, ultimately censoring themselves. Censorship also ties in with fire in the novel. Fire itself is used as a form of censorship, where Montag censors the books that people read by burning
The controlling power of the city advocates censorship to avoid letting things slip out that would destroy their hold over the city. Books are considered junk and should not be read, "Loud music, fast cars, and the television all create a universe to where people do not have time to think and concentrate" (Reid). This is exceptionally true in the era that the novel takes place in, given that no one has the time to sit down and read a good novel. "While it is not clear why books are banned, the freedom to read is challenged" (Reid). The idea of censorship in this novel is similar to what the Chinese have done with the elusive Tank Man story. The comparisons set up in censorship illustrate that if one object of media is banned, another would be affected as well, in this case, the internet and global media. Bradbury 's censoring of the television isn 't so much as cutting out something that should not be shown to the public, but that it uses programs that make a person care only about what is shown next. Watching television is a mindless activity and has no meaning. Violence is another form of censorship used to cut off what people either know or see. Hollier points out in his article comparison of Fahrenheit 451 and Caroll 's novel French Literary Fascism that "Violence used in Bradbury 's novel illustrates that people have not only envy, but ignorant intolerance of others who are considered smarter than them." Violence in the novel makes the people who have read a book stay silent rather than voice their opinion out of fear for retribution from their attackers, ultimately censoring themselves. Censorship also ties in with fire in the novel. Fire itself is used as a form of censorship, where Montag censors the books that people read by burning