Symbolism plays a major role in
Fahrenheit 451. There are a couple of symbols that stood out more than others.
The most notable one is fire. Fire plays several roles in the novel. It is more
of a symbol of fear than anything else. Fire is used to destroy all of the
books, the homes they are in, and sometimes the people living in the houses.
Fire is a weapon to the firemen to scare all other people from doing something
they are not supposed to, such as reading any kind of book. Beatty tells Guy, "real beauty is that it destroys
responsibility and consequences. A problem gets too burdensome, then into the
furnace with it. Now, Montag, you're a burden. And fire will lift you off my
shoulders, clean, quick, sure; nothing to rot later" (Bradbury 115). This quote
shows just how much the firemen used fire as a threat to scare anyone from
doing anything wrong. This is such a major symbol because the whole novel
revolves around avoiding fire in order to stay alive.
Another symbol
in Fahrenheit 451 is the opposite of
fire, water. Both fire and water play an important meaning in the novel, and
like their physical opposite trains, they are also symbolically opposites.
Water represents life and happiness. Water obviously puts out fire and makes it
stop burning and killing. In the novel it also means life to guy. When he
finally escapes the police, Faber tells him to go to the men he knows. This
escape for Guy happens to be through a river. This river means freedom from the
death of the fire that was coming from him (Bradbury 142-143).
The symbols
of both fire and water are important to the novel that we may or may not have
notices but when reflecting back on it is very clear. Bradbury made them the major
ones, but also incorporated several other minor symbols as well.
Bradbury, Ray. Fahrenheit
451. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1967. Print.
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