Fahrenheit 451 theme handout

Theme Four Handout

Alana Goukler, Aiswarya Ravikumar, Andrew Wahl, Sydney Hood, & Elyse Miller

Theme Statement:

Engaging with difficult, uncomfortable thoughts and experiences is the only route to true happiness.

Timeline

Quotes

“They walked the rest of the way in silence, hers thoughtful,his kind of clenching and uncomfortable silence ..” (Bradbury 7)

“ ‘See what you’re doing? You’ll ruin us! Who’s more important, me or that Bible?’ She was beginning to shriek..” (Bradbury 72)

“And when it came to his turn, what could he say, what could he offer on a day like this, to make the trip a little easier.” (Bradbury 158)

How does our theme connect to today’s society?

Our theme connects to today’s society through the idea of censorship and government control, as a major issue in the U.S. today is that many programs and organizations  such as the NSA are making many people feel that the government has an excessive amount of power.

Why is our theme important to the understanding of the story?

The theme helps the readers to comprehend Montag’s emotions throughout the story, from the beginning to the end and allows us to better understand the actions that he took in regards to various characters and situations.

Fahrenheit 451 : Symbols

        . The Hearth and the salamander is a important symbol in this book. Both of these symbols have to do with fire, the dominant image 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. The hearth, or fireplace, is a traditional symbol of the home; the salamander is one of the official symbols of the firemen, as well as the name they give to their fire trucks
           The phoenix also is a major symbol. After the bombing of the city, Granger compares mankind to a phoenix. Phoenix is a bird that burns itself up and then rises out of its ashes over and over again. Remembering the mistakes of the past, Granger and the group have set a mind that they will rise up one more time. They believe that individuals are not as important as the collective mass of culture and history. The symbol of the phoenix’s rebirth refers not only to the cyclical nature of history and the collective rebirth of humankind but also to Montag’s spiritual resurrection.

The fault in our stars: Metaphors

         Augustus and Hazel, frequently use metaphors to talk about emotionally overwhelming subjects. For example, Augustus describes shooting “existentially fraught” free throws on the day before the amputation of his leg. The free throws in this instance become a metaphor for Augustus's sense of purpose, since prior to his amputation he was an all-star basketball player, and losing his leg meant an end to sports. He suddenly began to question why this activity was so important, but the implication is that he suddenly began wondering what his purpose might be more broadly. 
            He often keeps an unlit cigarette in his mouth in order to symbolize his control over a thing that can kill him, namely cancer. Augustus relies on the significance of the cigarette symbol to give him strength in times of fear and uncertainty. Hazel has her own frequently used metaphor. She likens herself to a grenade when she imagines the pain she will cause to her loved ones when she dies. In each instance the metaphor allows the character to deal with the subject at hand, Hazel's impending death for example, without having to call it by name.