1. Themes and Symbols in Fahrenheit 451
Mrs. Evans
Winter quarter 2011

2. Themes
Theme: A fundamental or universal idea explored in a story

3. Themes in F451 Knowledge vs. Ignorance
Three of the main characters will have struggles that center around their knowledge or ignorance
Censorship
The media in the novel is very different from ours—especially when we talk about news sources. Pay attention to them as we discuss them throughout the reading.

4. Symbols
Symbols: Objects, people, or figures that represent something else—can represent something concrete or imaginary

5. Symbols in F451 Chapter titles create symbols in the novel
The Hearth and the Salamander
The hearth: a fireplace, which represents a home
Salamander: firefighter symbol; often called fire truck
The Sieve and the Sand
Sieve: a tool used to catch bigger things in sand
The Phoenix:
Used at the end; the Phoenix was a bird that flew up to the sun, burned up, then rose again
Mirrors:
Used to look at ourselves.