1. The Symbolism of the Firemen
Fahrenheit 451
The Symbolism of the Firemen

2. Main Characters in Fahrenheit 451
Guy Montag
Clarisse McClelland
Mildred (Millie) Montag
Captain Beatty
Faber

3. The Legend of the Phoenix
A supernatural, beautiful bird
Yellow, orange, gold, red feathers (fire)
Associated with the sun god, Heilos
Only one phoenix lives at a time
1000 years
Builds funeral pyre, throws self into flames
Reborn from ashes, rises to live again
Symbol of immortality, life after death, resurrection

4. The Salamander Greek, meaning “fire animal” Small lizard, cold-hearted
Born of fire & flame- myth
Fire-proof skin, can endure flame without damage - myth
colors of red, orange & gold = fire, flames

5. The Beetle A small, black bug Associated with devil
Symbol of the immortality; industrialness
Cars in their society

6. The Python Powerful snake Biblical reference to Adam & Eve
Symbolic of sin
Mildred’s overdose
Stomach pump
Kerosene hose
“great python spitting its venomous kerosene pon the world…burning to bring down the tatters and charcoal ruins of history.” (1)

7. The Hearth center of the home and source of warmth
Contained fire, controlled
Symbolic of the home
Montag’s home

8. Symbolic Colors In Fahrenheit 451
Red – fire, blood, war, danger, power & passion
Orange – determination & enthusiasm, aggression, thirst for action
Gold- wisdom, wealth
Yellow – energy
Black- devil, evil, power, death

9. Guy Montag “It was a pleasure to burn” Futuristic fireman
Seemed to enjoy his job
Futuristic fireman
- caretakers of society
- keepers of peace of mind
30 years old
Married to Millie
- thinks they have good marriage
- but can’t remember how they met
Appears to love job, “forced smile”

10. Clarisse McClellan Montag meets her on his way home
“I’m seventeen & crazy”
She doesn’t fear Montag
Questions & talks with him
She is odd, enjoys walks, talking

11. Mildred (Millie) Montag
Montag’s wife
Representative of Society
- Escapes
- drugs, ear seashells, TV parlor walls
- Overdose
- Selfish

12. Millie’s Overdose Overdose on sleeping pills
Crew comes, pumps her stomach & blood
Crew is very informal, routine
- smoking cigarettes, joking around
Millie is in denial

13. Montag & his Meetings with Clarisse
These encounters set up Montag’s future and his battle against censorship & banned books
They start his quest for knowledge
“He wore his happy like a mask and the girl had run off across the lawn with the mask and there was no way…(to) ask for it back.”

14. Meeting One She meets Montag on his way home from work
She likes to walk, talk, look at things, smell things
- lives with her parents, uncle
- Doesn’t watch parlor walls
Not afraid of Montag – others fear firemen
“Do you ever read any of the books you burn?”
Jet cars race down the street –foreshadowing
- people don’t drive slowly, uncle did once- got arrested
- miss things like colors of the grass
“Are you happy?”
Starts his journey of self discovery

15. Meeting Two “Rain tastes good” Dandelion test She sees a psychiatrist
He thinks she is more mature than Millie
She is starting to forget he is a fireman
Montag doesn’t know how firemen started
As she leaves, Montag TASTES rain

16. Third & Final Meeting Montag feels he has known her for years
“Why don’t you have children?”
“It has been a long time since anyone cared.”
His smile, laugh nicer, more relaxed, not forced like before
Anti-social behavior = talking, thinking
Ends conversation by saying “goodbye”
foreshadowing

17. Impact of Clarisse Opposite of society and its norms
The catalyst – gets Montag thinking
- asking questions, softening Montag
Discovery of Violence of Teens - Fun Parks
- teens smash windows, beat each other
- drive recklessly
- Afraid of others her own age
- “They kill each other”

18. The Mechanical Hound A programmable, robotic dog, has 8 legs
Made of rubber & metal
Armed with needles to inject victims with Morphine or procaine
Programmed by DNA to find victims
Montag fears the dog, “It doesn’t like me”

19. The Mechanical Hound (cont.)
Mechanical – it “functions”
Can only be programmed
Beatty suspects Montag is “having doubts”

20. The Firehouse & The Old Woman
Alarm sounds, heads to the woman’s house
After several warnings, she refuses to leave
Her statement about Master Ridley
- burned for heresy for a crime he did not commit
- she begins the quote, BEATTY FINISHES IT
Hugh Latimer, a British clergyman, spoke to his friend as they were both being burned as heretics: “Play the man, Master Ridley; we shall this day light such a candle, by God's grace, in England, as I trust shall never be put out.”
Allusion pdf
She lights a match & burns with her books
Montag’s hand steals the Bible
For the 1st time, Montag is sick after a burning

21. Back Home After the Burning
Montag pretends to be ill, calls in sick to work
He hides the book under his pillow
Realizes he is no longer in love with Millie
Millie tells Montag “Clarisse is gone”
Killed and family moved away
Beatty – “We’ve watched them carefully”
Better off dead

22. The History of the Firemen
Beatty informs Montag of the Firemen
People long for a simpler life
Classics cut, short, people lost interest in reading
English, grammar, spelling neglected
Languages dropped
Only books allowed - comics, manuals & trade magazines, pornography
Money & pleasure - only important things
“Minority” groups did not like books
Most people can be offended by something

23. History of the Firemen (cont.)
People became too politically correct
Too worried about offending others
People only want to be happy  Only way to ensure happiness is equality
People MUST be made EQUAL
Fire is pure & clean – cleanses everything

24. At Montag’s House
“Every firemen gets an itch…..” Beatty knows Montag is curious
“I want to hold on to this funny thing.” 64
Montag shows Mildred book collection behind vent
wants to read the books just once, to see what’s in them. If there’s nothing there, he’ll burn them
Gulliver’s Travels quote – absurdity of conformity

25. Section 2 The Sieve & The Sand
FAHRENHEIT 451
Section 2
The Sieve & The Sand