Fahrenheit 451

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Fahrenheit 451

• Analysis

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Guy Montag

• A fireman and the book's protagonist. As the
  novel opens, Montag takes pride in burning books
  and the homes of people who illegally own books.
  After meeting Clarisse McClellan, however, he
  begins to face his growing dissatisfaction with
  his life, his job, his marriage, and the
  pleasure-seeking, unthinking culture in which he
  lives. In fact, he has been secretly hoarding
  books, without actually reading them. After
  Clarisse's death, he eventually begins to read
  the books. From that point on, there's no turning
  back, and Montag begins to take action against
  his oppressive society.

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Montags Identity Crisis Early

• It was a pleasure to burn.
• It was a special pleasure to see things eaten, to
  see things blackened and changed. With the brass
  nozzle in his fists, with the great python
  spitting its venomous kerosene upon the world,
  blood pounded in his head, and his hands were the
  hands of some amazing conductor playing all the
  symphonies of blazing and burning to bring down
  the tatters and charcoal ruins of history.
• it kerosene is nothing but perfume to me.

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Montags Identity Crisis

• "his body divide itself , the two halves
  grinding one upon the other."
• Montag imagines that his new, rebellious half
  isn't him at all, but is actually Clarisse. When
  he speaks, he imagines her talking through his
  mouth.
• Later, when Faber ends up inside Montag's head
  via the earpiece, we see more confusion of
  identity. Montag even distances himself from his
  own hands, which in his mind are the dirty
  culprits breaking all the rules. (Guilt)
• Thinking (Happiness, Books)

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Clarisse McClellan

• She prefers to walk, engage in conversation,
  observe the natural world, and observe people.
  Her questioning, free spirit starts Montag
  thinking about his own life and his place in
  society.
• He saw himself in her eyes, suspended in two
  shining drops of bright water, himself dark and
  tiny, in fine detail, the lines about his mouth,
  everything there, as if her eyes were two
  miraculous bits of violet amber that might
  capture and hold him intact. Her face, turned to
  him now, was fragile milk crystal 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 gentle flattering light
  of the candle.

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Clarisse McClellan

• Mildreds Foil
• Are you happy? -serves as the catalyst that
  impels Montag toward a painful but necessary
  self-examination.
• Her Christian name is based on the Latin
  adjective clarus, which means "clearly". It may
  be understod as a telling name referring both to
  her outward appearance and to her character.
• Her terrible death underscores the rampant
  dehumanization of society and the resulting
  random acts of violence.

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Faber

• A former English professor who describes himself
  as a coward because he did not act to try to
  change the direction in which society was headed.
  He uses a two-way radio to direct Montag through
  situations in which he is too frightened to place
  himself. He provides a counterpoint to Beatty's
  arguments against literature and thought. Faber
  is named after a famous publisher (Faber Faber)
  and a brand of pencils.

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Captain Beatty

• Familiar with the Bible Tower of Babel

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Captain Beatty

• Beatty as a paradox?
• Paradox A paradox is a statement that
  contradicts itself and still seems true somehow.
  Fancy that. Everyday examples include, "Nobody
  goes to the restaurant because it's too crowded.
• Paradoxes in literature are often less about
  logical conundrums and more about illuminating
  meaning. While paradoxes may seem totally
  contradictory, literary paradoxes are often
  totally true at the same time.

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Allusions

• An allusion is a reference to a mythological,
  Biblical, literary, or historical person, place,
  or thing or any reference to another work of
  literature.
• Allusions are usually brief and passing.
• Allusions can enrich our reading of one text by
  causing us to think about another text.

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Tower of Babel

• Wheres your common sense? None of these books
  agree with each other. Youve been locked up here
  for years with a regular damned Tower of Babel.
  Snap out of it! Captain Beatty
• His mention of the Tower of Babel is an allusion
  to a story in the Bible.
• In the Old Testament book of Genesis, everyone
  spoke one language. The people built a huge
  tower, trying to get to heaven. God realized they
  needed to be restrained from accomplishing so
  much. He confused, or mixed up, their language so
  that everyone spoke different languages.
• Mention of the Tower of Babel now means confusion
  and corruption of language, the disagreement
  between different languages, or the inability to
  communicate.
• What do you think Beatty meant by saying this to
  the woman?

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(No Transcript)
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"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."

• This quotation refers to Hugh Latimer, the
  leading English reformer of the sixteenth century
  and Nicholas Ridley, Anglican bishop they
  refused to recognize Roman Catholic doctrine and
  therefore were burnt alive for heresy in 1555. In
  a similar way the old woman refuses to sacrifice
  her views therefore her death puts Montag's
  development into motion she becomes a candle
  which will last him the rest of his life (cf. p.
  51). The analogy between the fate of the
  reformers and that of the old woman is quite
  obvious.

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Censorship

• "Bigger the population, the more minorities.
  Don't step on the toes of the dog lovers, the cat
  lovers, doctors, lawyers, merchants, chiefs,
  Mormons, Baptists, Unitarians, second-generation
  Chinese, Swedes, Italians, Germans, Texans,
  Brooklynites, Irishmen, people from Oregon or
  Mexico. The people in this book, this play, this
  TV serial are not meant to represent any actual
  painters, cartographers, mechanics anywhere. The
  bigger your market, Montag, the less you handle
  controversy, remember that!... Authors, full of
  evil thoughts, lock up your typewriters. They
  did."