Fahrenheit 451
Symbolism in Fahrenheit 451 Light, especially fire, and darkness are significantly reoccurring themes in Fahrenheit 451. Guy Montag, the main character, is a fireman, but in this futuristic world the job description of a fireman is to start fires wherever books are found; instead of putting them out. Montag takes a journey from a literary darkness to a knowledgeable light. This journey can be compared to the short story Allegory of the Cave by Plato, in which a prisoner experiences a similar journey. An example of light, in reference to knowledge, occurs just after Montag meets Clarisse for the first time. "When they reached her house all its lights were blazing" (9). Since Montag had rarely seen that many house lights on, I interpreted those lines as saying "that house is full of knowledge and enlightenment; not like the rest of the houses around here which are always dark." Clarisse went on to explain to Montag that her mother, father, and uncle were just sitting around and talking. This was also something that wasn't very commonplace in the city. Fire is an important element of symbolism in Fahrenheit 451. Fire consumes minds, spirits, men, ideas, and books. Fire plays two very different roles in this book. The role of a destru
At first, Montag could not and would not accept books, but he began to see the power they had, he began to see the truth. Montag mirrors the path taken by one of prisoners in Plato's Allegory of the Cave. Fahrenheit 451 is the temperature at which books burn and is symbolically written on the firemen's helmets, tanks, and in the firestation. ctive, devouring, and life ending force, and the role of a nourishing flame. After learning the truth of the cave, the prisoner also tries to return to the others that are held captive and free them to show them the truth. The prisoners, like Montag and others in his society, can only see the shadows of the statues along the cave wall, and this is what they believe to be the truth. With this comment Montag realizes that he can no longer be a book burner, but that he has to preserve books. Somehow one of the prisoners is able to escape, and at first he is in pain. He hadn't known fire could look this way" (145-46). Montag was now seeing fire as a nourishing, life giving flame. In the Allegory of the Cave there are many prisoners; all with their arms, legs, and heads shackled so that they could only look forward. In these first two sentences, Bradbury creates a sense of curiosity and irony because in the story, change is something controlled and unwanted by the government and society, so it is very unlikely that anything in Guy Montag's society could be changed. Once again, the prisoner carries himself towards the cave entrance, and this time he sees the sun. The burning described at this point represents the constructive energy that later leads to catastrophe.
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Acceptance Essays
