What Is Reflected In Fahrenheit 451

Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 is a book based on a dystopian future in which books are banned and firemen start fires instead of ending them. The book’s main character, Montag, spends a lot of his time reflecting on his life and on the society he lives in. The society Bradbury depicts in Fahrenheit 451 is one that is in dire need of reflection and change. Throughout the book Bradbury uses mirrors and even Clarisse as symbols of society’s need for reflection. In reflecting upon itself, society can better itself and become the “ideal” society it was always meant to be. Before any new society can be formed after the explosion, Bradbury tells his audience that society must first notice its mistakes and then fix them. Just as a person can see their reflection in a mirror, society too can figuratively look at itself into a mirror and change for the better. From the beginning of the book, it is noticeable that Montag is not very happy with the life he is living. Early on in the story Montag meets a strange young woman named Clarisse McClellan. Clarisse is different from everyone else. Unlike most people, Clarisse actually thought about things and questioned why life was the way it was. Consequently, Clarisse makes Montag think and reflect on his own life. In the book, the narrator expresses how montag sees his reflection in Clarisse’s eyes. Even if it is not mentioned word for word in the quote, one can conclude that Clarisse’s eyes serve as a mirror for Montag. This symbol of a mirror has both a literal and a figurative meaning. In a literal sense, Montag is looking at a reflection of himself in a girl’s eyes. However, in a figurative sense, Montag is reflecting on himself and his beliefs and behaviors through her eyes. Clarisse makes him think and causes him to realize that maybe he isn’t truly happy, maybe he is missing out on so many important things in life. After meeting and conversing with Clarisse, Montag begins to contemplate everything she said and how it made him feel. At one point the narrator says, “How like a mirror, too, her face. Impossible; for how many people did you know that refracted your own light to you?” (8). Montag explains how rare it is to meet someone who reflects your innermost thoughts and how common it is to see people who were simply too busy to even think. By stressing how rare it is to meet anyone who might reflect your thoughts, Montag is also stressing how society has a need for reflection. This need is present in most people yet it is ignored due to the fact that everyone is always “blazing” through life, never stopping to think about certain things. On the other hand, it can also be noted that at this point Clarisse has shown Montag who he really is. He thinks back upon himself and realizes that his “happiness” is nothing but a mask. Deep down inside neither Montag nor the society he lives in truly understands what happiness even is. It can be possible that through reflection society can regain its social awareness and realize that the tv walls that surround them aren’t the only entertaining thing in the world. In the last section of the book, Bradbury utilizes Mildred to further emphasize his theme of reflection. When the first bomb drops Montag envisions how Mildred dies, alone in her hotel room. He says, “ she saw her face reflected there, in a mirror instead of a crystal ball, and it was such a wildly empty face, all by itself in the room” (153). At this point Bradbury shows his audience how Mildred reflects upon …show more content…
Through all his different symbols, Ray Bradbury does a good job at making note of how society must reflect on itself in order to thrive. Mirrors are obviously a great symbol of reflection in the book. As proven in this paper, mirrors are not the only symbol of reflection. Characters like Clarisse and Mildred also play a part in keeping up this theme of reflection. In conclusion, Bradbury does an excellent job of stressing an ongoing demand for reflection and change in order for Montag and everyone else to be truly happy in