Examples Of Tension In Fahrenheit 451

“One drop of rain. Clarisse. Another drop. Mildred. A third. The uncle. A fourth. The fire tonight. One, Clarisse. Two, Mildred. Three, uncle. Four, fire. One, Mildred, two, Clarisse. One, two, three, four, five, Clarisse, Mildred, uncle, fire, sleeping tablets, men, disposable tissue, coattails, blow, wad, flush. One, two, three, one two three! Rain. The storm. The uncle laughing. Thunder falling downstairs. The whole world pouring down. The fire gushing up in a volcano. All rushing on down around in a spouting roar and rivering stream toward morning.” (Bradberry, 15)

The first thing one would usually notice upon reading this paragraph is its structure. Most of the sentences in this paragraph are short, all of them having less than fifteen

The short length of the sentences flows here in a way which creates tension. This tension is emphasized by the words used and the repetition of the numbers in between, making the reader feel somewhat uneasy along with Montag. A clear sense of uncertainty can be felt behind this paragraph, as if Montag’s world has suddenly been completely shattered after his talk with Clarisse, as if he has begun to question everything to the point of scaring himself. This idea can be supported by the point in the text where he briefly messes up the order in which he has numbered Clarisses and Mildred, inferred to represent the hurried way his mind is processing these new ideas and feelings, as well as the way that these thoughts flood and overload his mind, possibly causing him to lose his focus. This could also be alluding to the way he loses a hold on the stability of his life the night he meets Clarisse. Continuing with the idea that the paragraph represents his uncertainty, the words themselves

Not every person starts the same, but everyone is made the same by society. There is a mold to fit into, which brings happiness to the people of this society because when everyone is the same, no one is particularly exceptional which means that no one has to feel like they aren’t good enough or are lagging behind others. This is what the phrase “there are no mountains to make them cower, to judge themselves against” is essentially referring to. The mountains comparison works in another way because when someone is highly talented or inspirational in some way, people tend to look up at them, the same way you would have to look up at a mountain. While a mountain is impressive and beautiful, it also looms over the passerby in a way which may be intimidating. This is similar to how geniuses/prodigies are often seen as a threat by common people, who “judge themselves against” said prodigies and only disappoint themselves. With this logic in mind, a book is considered a loaded gun because more often than not, books encourage independent thought and unique courses of action. If read, ideas can be put into the reader’s head that may cause them to act apart from the rest of society. To burn a book is to take the shot from the weapon because the danger of a book lies in the words within, written on paper. When the paper burns, the book is useless and poses no threat, similar to how a gun poses no threat when its bullets are