Violence In Fahrenheit 451 Essay

Violence plays a key role in many novels; without it, may books would be bland and less effective at conveying a message. In the work Fahrenheit 451, the author Ray Bradbury used violent scenes to help establish the character and nature of the firefighters, and to show the difference between then and now. Ray Bradbury uses violent scenes to establish the nature of the firefighters. First of all, at the beginning of the book, it talks about how Montag loves to burn things and it describes watching the papers burning as a good thing. This helps depict the firefighters as a destructive force, and makes it seem as though they love to destroy. This is exemplified when Montag compares being an amazing conductor to burning and destroying things, because a conductor isn’t typically associated with destruction. Second, when a woman sets her

For instance, in the beginning when Montag is talking about burning things, he compares it to a composer playing symphonies. Now, a composer is typically associated with creating beautiful music, not destruction and burning books. This exemplifies how burning books is thought to be positive and almost a ‘beautiful’ thing. Secondly, when Clarisse is talking to Montag, she mentions how many of her friends have been killed. She brings up this violence as though it is common, which contrasts with how things are now. In present time, a majority of people don’t have many friends who have been killed. Finally, when the firefighters respond to a call, they don’t do anything when a woman burns in the building. This provides a large amount of contrast because in present day, it is a firefighter’s job to put out fires and save those who are trapped in burning building, but in this novel the firefighters do the exact opposite. These are just a few of many examples of how violence creates