The Symbol of Fire in Fahrenheit 451

Fahrenheit 451 tells the story of the main character, Guy Montag. At first, Montag does his duties of being a fireman without a care. He is not the traditional fireman, instead, burning illegally and prohibited owned books as well as the homes of their owners. However, Montag starts to question the values of books, his job and his life in general. Throughout Fahrenheit 451 Montag is conflicted with his entire existence, eventually fleeing from society and stumbles to eventually joins an underground community of intelligent people. With his new buddies, Montag witnesses bombs crash into his former city and decides to rebuild a new society with the knowledge he now possesses. In this brief summary, however, there is one central symbol that stands out. I chose fire, and I believe it is pretty interesting symbol because it can have different meanings in the book and will follow the theme.

Fire, of course, can have it’s typical meaning. Fire destroys and burns anything in its path. Fire is used in the very beginning of the book when the firemen broke into a woman’s house to incinerate the woman’s book and home. When the woman refuses to leave the house, they just burn her as well. You could say this sparked a fire in Guy Montag, who witnessed this event with his own eyes. As the reader continues reading the book, we see Guy’s flames get more and more bright and bigger. He’s starting to think independently, thinks the censorship is crazy and that the books are valuable. This reminds me of a time in Part 1 when Clarisse talk to Guy about candle lights (as well as fire), and how when they’re controlled, symbolizes self awareness and knowledge. We see him grow more as a character, to the point when he has to escape society, his flames have grown really big, but controlled at the same time. I also want to talk about when the city gets blown up, because it really drives what the theme is going to be. When I first read the scene where the city got absolutely demolished, I was shocked. But the more I thought about it, it made sense. Just like a forest fire, when the city got destroyed, it was devastating. But since Guy and the rest of the intellectuals can start anew, just like a forest fire, they’ll slowly but surely grow back up again to be bigger and better.

I really love this theme because this is something anyone can learn from and relate to. The theme is: Even when you’re burnt down to a crisp, you can always grow back and get better. If you’re going through hard times, remember, it only goes up from here. I have another one that I really like. The other theme is: You either let the flames consume you and burn you or you control it and use it to its full potential.

Conclusion

In conclusion, while fire may be destructive, it can pave the way to newer and bigger things. Guy in Fahrenheit 451 is a prime example of this. The ‘flames’ can get bigger and bigger, but that person has to be able to control those flames to be a better person. Fire, of course, is destructive and is something that can and will hurt you. The question is: What do you do from there?