What Does Fire Symbolize In Fahrenheit 451

According to ancient Greek mythology, it is Prometheus who first gives man fire. He defies Zeus and the other gods by doing so. His seemingly simple act starts immense change and destruction, which eventually results in Prometheus’ own suffering. Similarly, Ray Bradbury’s novel Fahrenheit 451 uses the dangerous element as a symbol. Fire is a recurring motif of the book and appears with Montag when there is trouble or change. By examining the novel and its deeper meaning, Bradbury provides the reader with two different meanings of fire: the element represents both powerful destruction and beautiful creation. After all, destruction cannot exist without creation, and life cannot exist without death.

The most prominent use of fire within the novel
Later on, Bradbury expresses the greatest destruction of fire with a graphic and gruesome description. After burning the books and his home, Montag kills Beatty, shooting a spout of fire at the chief until " he was a shrieking blaze, a jumping, sprawling gibbering manikin, no longer human or known, all writhing flame on the lawn (113).” Montag decides at this point in the book to use the full extent of fire's terrible power to murder a human being. This is the last stage in Montag's transformation; he no longer values the people he respects. Like the fire, Beatty tries to destroy and burn all the conviction Montag has in his decision to fight against society. Montag finally uses that fire by burning Beatty to ultimately destroy the last bit of his once normal life. The fire both literally destroys everything he has and metaphorically
Once again the Phoenix is a splendid example for this change and creation. Granger compares the creature to the nature of civilization, saying, "But every time he burnt himself up he sprang out of the ashes, he got himself born all over again (156).” For the Phoenix that Granger refers to, the fire is a chance to start again; the fire creates a new beginning. Instead of destroying him, the fire creates a new Phoenix, one that can get up and try again. The same analogy is used for humanity. Often the best way to start over - create a new beginning - is by burning the old. Civilizations all over the world burn so that new ones can be created. Another example of change and creation comes from the beginning of the book, and is where Montag first meets Clarisse. He describes her face “with a soft and constant light in it. It was not the hysterical light of electricity but – what? But the strangely comfortable and rare and gently flattering light of the candle (5).” Although this is not the most obvious or significant point of fire’s creative power, it is the one with the most lasting effect. It is inferred that Montag is squirreling books for many years, but he does nothing about it until he meets Clarisse. The candle Montag notices finally pushes him to do something about the society. Candles are also commonly associated with hope, a single flicker of flame from