Fahrenheit 451 Quote Analysis

Bright colors of yellow, orange, and red flames glow against the darkness of the midnight sky. The fire covers the paper of the books piled in large mountains and burns the black ink off the pages until the essence of the books’ morals turns into ashes and memories. While the burning of books may seem like a major catastrophe, the situation is standard in Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451. Unfortunately, this is only one of the consequences of messing with the strict rules against certain past traditions. The government, interested in obtaining and maintaining control, prevents outdated customs from being promoted and enforced; in order to do this, it discourages minorities that accept unpopular habits and generates fear amongst the population

A variety of authors write books, and not all will agree on the same decisions; these writers choose to describe their ideas in a book, and the resolutions found in the stories may alter the readers’ opinions. One instance of outside viewpoints becoming an obstacle to the government’s ruling appears when Professor Faber explains to Guy Montag, “‘So now do you see why books are hated and feared? They show the pores in the face of life’” (Bradbury 79). Although this quote leaves much room for thought, Faber specifically states that not many appreciate books because those in control fear that allowing individuals to discover imperfections in their monotonous yet advanced lives would cause a revolt against the leadership. Additionally, with great advances in technology present in that time, there is no purpose for books because they are neither as efficient nor enticing as

To produce fear amongst the public, events such as the burning of houses with books and chasing after criminals emerge in front of large audiences. Because so many witness these incidents, it is general knowledge that the authorities harshly punish those who commit wrongdoings, so most refuse to test the law. Montag realizes that everyone is aware of the power that the government bears as he leaves his town thinking, “…he had left a stage behind and many actors. He felt as if he had left… the murmuring ghosts. He was moving from an unreality…” (Bradbury 133). According to the quote, Montag understands that no one is openly expressing themselves, for the whole population lives in a repetitive cycle without questioning if there is more to experience. In addition to this, he contributes to the recurring “Alive but Dead” theme throughout the book by calling them ghosts, creatures that are both dead and alive. An important example of this theory involves the Mechanical Hound. The Hound implies a being that is physically alert but mentally unresponsive; forgetting to ponder the consequences, the Hound listens to its master and fulfills tasks without a doubt. Knowing this, Montag compares the people around him to the robotic dog, identifying them as “…twenty million silently baying Hounds…” (Bradbury 131). As seen in the excerpt, the residents choose to act