Preview

Symbolism Of Fire In Fahrenheit 451 By Ray Bradbury

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
91 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Symbolism Of Fire In Fahrenheit 451 By Ray Bradbury
Clearly, a single word can have a dozen different interpretations. In the dystopian novel, Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury illustrates a futuristic civilization where life is meaningless, and technology is so depended upon that it restricts free-thinking. Within the novel, he embeds the symbol of fire, which alternates in significance via each character. Through the use of symbolism, Bradbury demonstrates the power behind fire; through imagery he reveals the destruction it can partake in, and through diction he reveals that a controlled fire can evolve into a symbol of warmth and comfort.

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Fahrenheit 451 is a novel inanimate objects that serve important purposes that tie to the theme of the book. Fire is one of many inanimate objects in this novel. At the beginning fires purpose is destruction to destroy the outlawed books from people in this society. Then it brings the firemen pleasure when the burn stuff by seeing it turn dark brown and then black, from perfectly fine to ashes. Then at the end it brings Montog comfort and warmth when he was running from the hound.…

    • 440 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    When I read Fahrenheit 451, the most prevalent literacy style that jumped out at me was Ray Bradbury's use of symbolism. Symbolism is prevalent throughout the entire novel. Some of it jumps right out at you, but most of it a minute of pondering thought, and even more time of analytical judgment. I absolutely love symbolism. It has to be my absolute favorite literacy style. Symbolism creates a much easier device by which interpret a profound idea or concept. Fahrenheit 451 is chucked to the gills with symbolism.…

    • 464 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Think of the word "fire". What's the first thing that comes to mind? To some it's s'mores, to others it's destruction. For Montag Fire was a tool for his profession; "It was a pleasure to burn. It was a special pleasure to see things eaten, to see things blackened and changed." This line was found in the beginning of a Fahrenheit 451. Montag was in charge of burning the books that were found, but throughout the movie his understanding of fire changed.…

    • 357 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the vast genre of literature, most authors use symbols in their stories or poems to efficiently give them more meaning and complexity. Usually, the job of the experienced reader is to interpret those symbols, which gives the reader a deeper comprehension of the story or poem. In Fahrenheit 451, three symbols used by Ray Bradbury and will be analyzed is the Sieve and the Sand, the Phoenix, and the River.…

    • 642 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In Jack London’s short story “To build a fire” a man sets out with his dog in extreme cold temperatures confident in arriving at their campsite where the man’s friends are waiting. London uses the element of foreshadowing to hint at the traveler’s impending doom.…

    • 551 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In Fahrenheit 451 the phoenix symbolizes mankind. The phoenix symbolizes this because the human race puts itself in bad situations, then comeback and corrects the mistakes. As Granger described the phoenix “He must have been first cousin to man. But every time he burnt himself up he sprang out of the ashes, he got himself born all over again.”(Bradbury, 156). Mankind burn themselves to ashes but then they get back up and learn from their mistakes. Like at the end of the book they drop a nuclear bomb on Montages’ town. Then, all of the educated people leave their homeless camps so they can rebuild the city. In that case the phoenix can also symbolize society in a literal sense. The nuclear bomb destroyed the city and the educated people went to go bring it out of the ashes.…

    • 545 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Fahrenheit 451 is a novel based on the role of burning books in order to eliminate their dissenting ideas. Guy Montag is a fireman who burns houses containing books, rather than putting fires out. In his community, laws are enforced to prevent folks from thinking. These rules try to hide the reality that the government is controlling people, as well as the faults in the world. The novel begins with the quote, "If they give you ruled paper, write the other way," from Juan Ramon Jimenez. I believe the quote reflects how you shouldn’t follow principles just because a society tell you to do so, instead, you must march to the beat of your own drum.…

    • 632 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In William Faulkner's 1939 short story "Barn Burning," a young boy, Colonel Sartoris Snopes (Sarty), is faced with and forced to endure the abusive and destructive tendencies of his father, Abner Snopes. As the story unfolds, several examples can be found to illustrate Faulkner's use of symbolism to allow the reader to sense the disgust for Abner Snopes, the significance in the lack of color usage throughout the story, and finally, Sarty's journey.…

    • 1047 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The imagery of fire in Edwidge Danticat 's short story “A Wall of Fire Rising” possesses a very powerful meaning and also continually changes throughout the entirety of the story. Fire was a very sacred thing to have, especially during the time this story has taken place.…

    • 1509 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Ray Bradbury refers to the book of Revelation towards the end of Fahrenheit 451. Something that I find to be coincidental is that the book of Revelation is also the very last book of the bible. At the end of the book, when the bomb goes off, everything seems to go down hill. Montag seems to believe as if all hope is lost. Will things ever change for Montag and the others? Will society ever get better? Throughout Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury alludes to quotes that refer to something that represent a different meaning. Depending on the perspective that someone may view the quotes, they can be looked at as one meaning, but really they mean another. For example, in the book, Ray Bradbury chose to use the poem Dover Beach: "Ah, love, let…

    • 805 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Rhetorical Analysis

    • 656 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Bradbury uses symbolism to indicate that relationships reflect who individuals are and who they want to be. Fire seems to mean a lot of different things at different moments in Fahrenheit 451. Beatty and his fireman minions use it to destroy. But the woman whose house they burn interprets it another way: "Play the man, Master Ridley; we shall this day light such a candle, by God's grace, in England, as I trust shall never be put out." For her, it represents strength. Montag himself discovers an alternative use for fire at the end of the novel; when he realizes that it can warm instead of destroy. Like that whole cycle of life thing, fire has a constructive and destructive half. And like the books that are burned, each character in the novel is forced to interpret for them and confront contradictory perspectives – just like Beatty said about the books. Symbolism helps view the story from multiple points of view, and also gives a more vivid understanding of the thoughts and feelings of the characters.…

    • 656 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Themes Of Gates Of Fire

    • 272 Words
    • 2 Pages

    During class, we have had several discussions about courage, specifically as one of the major themes of Gates of Fire. In our discussions, we have mentioned that there are, in fact, different types of courage. We mentioned courage in men, in women, and false courage or pseudoandreia; this idea of different types or grades of courage lead me to this page about developing courage: http://www.artofmanliness.com/2009/02/08/developing-manly-courage/…

    • 272 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Time Machnie Essay

    • 374 Words
    • 2 Pages

    H.G. Wells uses symbolism thought the novel to subtlety criticize technology. He uses fire to represent technology to amuse the people who live above ground and as a weapon against the morlocks who live under ground. I think it portrays how technology like fire can be abused. Technology can be used to better the world with inventions such as the internet or used to destroy it such as the atomic bomb. He also uses symbolism like the green porcelain palace witch is used to be a museum. I think it represent renewal most of the things were left untouched as a ruin in the future.…

    • 374 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Ray Bradbury uses figurative language in Fahrenheit 451 by using the terms “alive yet not alive” and “dead but not dead.” By using these terms Bradbury is saying that things are alive when they are not, but in reality they are just machines. Bradbury also says things are dead, but really they are alive and human. Bradbury uses the term, “alive yet not alive,” when talking about Mildred. He also uses the term, “dead but not dead,” when talking about the snake that sucked all the fluids out of Mildred and the mechanical dog that the fire department had.…

    • 600 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    From history books to present day movie franchises, a message has been embedded in. As Robert Frost has written, “Some say the world will end in fire, Some say in ice...” These two powerful forces may be completely different things with contradicting effects, yet they bring the same destruction. In the novel the Lord of the Flies, William Golding compares the fire to Jack's passion in order to set an example for pushing the potential of positive attributes that could eventually to lead to destruction. The author of Lord of the Flies uses the symbolism of fire to demonstrate the necessity of moderation as it is the key to success.…

    • 808 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays