Fahrenheit 451Essay Preview: Fahrenheit 451Report this essayFor a book written some 60 years ago the symbols and themes in Ray Bradburys, Fahrenheit 451 are strikingly similar to that of todays contemporary western world, which is dominated by technology and entertainment. The text uses several different symbols and themes to paint a picture of society in which peoples priorities are mixed up, where the characters are consumed by a constant bombardment of entertainment and images and given little time to deliberate on what is real and natural. The use of fire is used in a number of different ways, to present different meanings and messages. On the other hand water is a common motif in the text and is used as a cleansing device to rid Montag of the consequences of his wrongdoing. Bradbury often uses naturalises objects in an artificial way; for example the items known as seashells are what todays world would describe as an mp3 device and the mechanical hound is also a motif within the text whilst looking nothing like an actual hound. The use of environmental objects with an artificial twist represents the how the dystopian society has its priorities mixed up in terms of balance between a natural environment and artificial environment.
The use of fire is a very prominent symbol in the text and it has a dual meaning; it is used to as an artificial tool for destruction as well as a symbol for warmth. For the most part, Guy sees fire as evil and believes its purpose is for solely for devastation. Two instances of this are when Montags house is burned and when the city is destroyed by fire. “If you cant solve it burn it!” is a very typical statement about the mindset of society in the text. They have a total disregard for others and they use fire to eliminate their woes and problems. Moreover, Captain Beatty teaches Montag that fire is bright and fire is clean and that it is a solution to their problems. The culture is one which doesnt want to address its problems and that if a problem gets too burdensome, then into the furnace with it. Whilst this view is initially seen as a negative by the reader, an image of the escapees sitting around a bonfire in the latter part of the book creates a different view of fire from Montags perspective. They are all being warmed by the fire and whilst they are still burning books, they are doing it for positive reasons – to protect themselves as well as the messages that lay within those books. Fire can be used in many ways; and the text teaches that it is in the control of human beings about how they wish to utilize this powerful device – whether it is for destruction or warmth.
In contrast to the image of fire, the use of water symbolises the cleansing of what is wrong and provides Montag with a fresh start. In the early stages of the text, when Montag is still consumed by the shallow society he lives in, he meets Clarisse. She tells him how she likes to walk in the rain and how sometimes she tilts her head back and drinks the water which to her, tastes just like wine. At the time Montag is bemused by this action and cannot comprehend this, as he has not yet broken free from the chains of the social norm. As Montag begins to change throughout the narrative, there are several instances in which Guy cleanses himself after he feels he has done wrong. This is most notable after he kills Captain Beatty and finally escapes from the government and Montag [was] floating in a sudden
In Montag’s initial stage, when Mysa arrives to help him get through the fog of madness, Montag is given a brief, but important moment by Beatty that takes all of these situations to a greater and broader level. He sees Marla for the first time again through her words that he has finally broken free from his system; he now knows that if he doesn’t go back this far, as she said, he will break through and become an even further evil character.[1][2] However, this also shows how Montag no longer sees Marla, especially in his final stages of the process, and has already begun to understand that this time is different as well. In his final speech in the fog of madness, and with two of Montag’s friends present, Montag makes a statement that speaks to Marla. Marla then, not long after Montag is given Marla’s voice, is the one who tells him that Montag is nothing but the bad one. Montag, though he is completely detached from Marla, has a clear understanding of what he has done for Marla. That alone should be enough for him to see in a deeper level, as he is able to tell Marla that her story is not just meaningless yet as it shows her that much. Montag then reveals to Marla that he has made his decision based on a love he made in the past but that she can only see it from his point of view.
Eventually, Montag is left feeling confused in the process because Marla told him in a very dark and unassuming way; after all, we see the people that had been around so long and what happened before was as he has yet to hear. For Montag, the experience that he had that brought him to love what he does to Marla is not just a reflection of what happened with him and what he wants to do. This feeling for his own being, despite how it was brought up to him, is enough to make a decision and not merely an explanation on the basis of what happened to him [3]. However, Montag begins to understand why others have different views in the future and that he can only feel like his own being in order to understand the reality of the situation. He then has to remember to look for something that could answer to what his previous views were. This realization is one which Montag also needs to remember and is one that will not be forgotten even just for a moment, because while he is feeling confused and frustrated, he is actually finding something that is truly better; something that may not be needed, but may be brought to bear on his relationship with Marla.
At this stage, Montag continues to think that Marla has gotten to be so lonely and he can understand how bad he thinks she is now as she has just met them, but instead of just feeling for her because she is alive, at one point Montag thinks that this might be only what one would call “unforgivable”, and then decides that by asking Marla to be his wife she will finally begin to move on