Symbol Of Fire In Fahrenheit 451

Words: 426
Pages: 2

In the book Fahrenheit 451 there is a recurring symbol all throughout the book and that is the fire. Fire can mean many different things, but its meaning can change because of the context of the sentence. In the book fire can mean destruction, but it can also mean life. The main character’s understanding on fire changed throughout the book, Montag had a very straight view on fire, but towards the end that view changed. In the beginning Montag sees fire as the vehicle of a restrictive society, but Montag turns it upon his oppressor, using it to burn Beatty and win his freedom.
Fire was first talked about in the book when the fire fighters started to burn the books that they found. In the book the job of the firefighters is too destroy knowledge and promote ignorance in order to equalize the population and promote sameness. Montag has a very distinct view on fire, he was told that by Faber. Montag is confused by this but he comes to an understanding. Montag knows that the symbol of fire can be very contradicting, as an example the fireplace is the symbol for home and the salamander is the symbol for the firefighter. Both of these symbols have to do with fire, and fire is the most important aspect of Montag’s life. The hearth because it contains the fire that heats a home, and the salamander because of ancient beliefs that it lives in fire and is unaffected by flames and that is what
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Montag’s view was more focused on himself and now towards the end it was focused more on others and not just himself. Granger said that mankind is like a phoenix that burns itself up and rises out of the ashes over and over again. Montag can be seen as a phoenix because he has matured over the course of the book. Montag could have been in the ashes but he transformed into someone who is more matured and someone who can carry themselves. A phoenix is a bird of transformation, and that is what Montag