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Fahrenheit 451 is an engrossing futuristic tale of a society where all printed material is banned. In this country of the future, officials believe that people who read and are able to think for themselves are a threat to the nation where individualism is strongly discouraged. Fahrenheit 451 is recently the most notable work of social criticism that Bradbury has written. This novel has one very important aspect dealing with symbolism. This story deals with the extremely serious problem of the banning of books and the suppression of the mind that is, with expurgation. The novel examines a few crucial days of a man s life, a man who is a burner of books, and therefore an instrument of destruction.
In a few short days, this man is transformed from a narrow-minded and prejudiced conformist into a dynamic individual, committed to social change, to a life of saving books rather than destroying them. The significance of the title Fahrenheit 451 the temperature at which book-paper catches fire, and burns and the slogan by Spanish poet Juan Ram n Jim nez: If they give you ruled paper, write the other way. The implications of both of these concepts one, a simple fact; the other, a challenge to authority are examples of the use of symbolism throughout the story. Guy Montag portrays the protagonist in this novel. He is a firefighter just as his father had been before him, and his father s father had been before his father. Since houses had been fireproofed there was no longer any need for firemen; thus the role of the firefighter had changed.
The new role of the firefighters was to destroy all books. Without books, and therefore without ideas, everyone conforms; as a consequence, everyone is happy. When books and ideas are available to people conflicts occur. Guy had been a firefighter for 10 years. He was a middle-aged man and good at his job.
Throughout the story It was a pleasure to burn for Guy. Until he met his new neighbor, Clarisse a 16 -year-old girl whose recalcitrance and nonconformity allow Montag to discover how jaded his view on life had become. Guy s fire unit burn all the books they get their hands on, until Guy gets tempted and hides and takes some books home with him. Eventually his wife finds out and turns him in, not until he s given a chance to go back by his captain. Guy refuses and since then he s on the run. The only way that Guy fits the image of a typical American is up to the point when he had decided what was inside these books.
After that instance he changed and he no longer conformed to fit the norm of a typical American. He fits the stereotypical role, with his black hair, black brows fiery face, and blue-steel shaved but unshaved look. The inhabitants of this society all seem to be suffering from sensory deprivation and their only link to news and entertainment is a large television screen on the wall where broadcasts are continually transmitted to the family. All of the people are members of The Family. Even though they arent forced to watch the telecasts, they all do.
It is also a society where drugs are dispensed by the government in order to further pacify the citizens. Mop up squads roam the streets, shaving the heads of individuals whose hair they consider to be too long and to be the trait of a non-conformist. It is the job of firemen to hunt down subversives and burn the caches of books theyve secreted away. This novel was written long before political correctness raised its ugly head and demanded they be referred to as firefighters.
If you think about it, the excesses of political correctness is one of the things this book may be warning us about. Montag faces an agonizing spiritual dilemma of love and hate for his job. Ironically, although, a fireman, he is marked by the phoenix symbol, he is inhibited from rising like the legendary bird because he lacks the knowledge to transform mental growth into actions. Guy relies on Professor Faber to educate him on humanistic knowledge. In the end he resolves this conflict by burning his captain who puts him in the position to light him up.
He gives up his job, which he loved to protect the future, a future where people and books can again flourish. He goes on the run from the mechanical hound, which will stop at nothing to drive its needle deep inside him, thus he is faced with an external conflict, to survive. He escapes the hound and sees the flash fire destroy his city. 328
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