“The mechanical hound slept but did not sleep, lived but did not live” (Bradbury, 21). Author Ray Bradbury masterfully uses poetic devices to help him convey the meaning of his 1953 dystopian novel Fahrenheit 451. The novel contains interesting plots and characters that contrast the norm and defy all logic. This recurring presence of paradoxes can be exemplified thoroughly though the novel’s futuristic society and the ones that lie within it. Bradbury’s brilliant use of paradoxes is apparent through Mildred, Montag, and society. Although Mildred does not physically die in the novel, she is depicted as lifeless. Through the description of Montag 's room, one can see that it represents aspects of …show more content…
Through his occupation and inner convictions one can gain insights into paradoxes displayed in the novel. Due to the society one lives in today and the prior knowledge we obtain from inhabiting it, one enters the book with the understanding that fire-firefighters are to put out fires. However, in Fahrenheit 451 the mission of fire fighters is to start fires for the purpose of burning books. Due to the title "fire-fighters" being quite literal and self-explanatory the very notion that it would mean the opposite of fighting fires is a paradox. In addition, through a conversation between Clarisse and Montag one can look deeper into this paradox found in the novel. When Clarisse asks Montag if it has always been the job of fight fires, Montag answers by stating the history of the occupation reciting a document reading, "[e]stablished 1790, to burn English- influenced books in the colonies. First Fireman: Benjamin Franklin. Rules 1. Answer the alarm swiftly, 2. Start the fire swiftly 3. Burn Everything" (Bradbury,__). Through the rules adhered to by fire- fighters, one can see the further divide between the futuristic American society prevalent in the novel and the world one lives in today. In this passage, one can see that the normal conduct of a fire fighter in the novel contrasts the society one lives in today, thus creating a very visible paradox. In this way, Montag 's inner thoughts about books form a paradox …show more content…
It features characters and contains plots, which completely defy logic and are in every way contrary to the norms seen in modern society. It has been determined that an array of paradoxes can be identified throughout the novel through the exploring Mildred, Montag, and