1. Fahrenheit 451
Burning Bright
Review

2. “He stepped into the bedroom and fired twice and the twin beds went up in a great simmering whisper, with more heat and passion than he would have supposed them to contain” (116).
Said by narrator.
Montag is burning his bedroom.
Symbolic of his cold, dead relationship with Mildred.
Montag returns to his old self—it was a pleasure to burn.

3. “Beatty wanted to die” (122).
Said by Montag.
Montag realizes that Beatty provoked him to do it.
Beatty loved knowledge and probably read books. Perhaps he wanted to end his life because he was forced to burn the very books that he loved.

4. “I wonder if they were the ones who killed Clarisse?” (126).
Said by Montag.
Montag realizes that the kids in the car were out for a joy ride just to kill someone.
Clarisse was reported to have been run over.
Effect of a society with no empathy and no consequences.

5. “I feel alive for the first time in years
“I feel alive for the first time in years. I feel I'm doing what I should've done a lifetime ago. For a little while I'm not afraid. Maybe it's because I'm doing the right thing at last” (131).
Said by Faber.
Montag is rubbing off on Faber. He is becoming more active and involved in the resistance.
He feels like less of a coward.

6. “He floated on his back…the river was mild and leisurely, going away from the people who ate shadows for breakfast and steam for lunch and vapors for supper” (140).
Said by Montag.
River is a symbol of rebirth. Montag is becoming his true self.
He is leaving the superficial, empty people of the cities behind.

7. “So if he burnt things with the firemen and the sun burnt Time, that meant that everything burnt!” (141).
Said by Montag.
Montag realizes that all everyone does is destroy.
Society has to stop destroying and start saving.
Montag decides that he will stop burning.

8. “He stood breathing, and the more he breathed the land in, the more he was filled up with all the details of the land. He was not empty. There would always be more than enough” (144).
Said by Montag.
Montag becomes a Transcendentalist of sorts. He realizes a spiritual connection with nature.
Nature is nourishing and invigorating (apple, pear, glass of milk).
Nature accepts him as one—he becomes Emerson’s “transparent eyeball.”

9. What are some important symbols in Burning Bright
What are some important symbols in Burning Bright? Know how they function in the novel.
Bedroom and parlor
The River
Chicago
Harvard Degrees
Milk, apple, and pear
Railroad tracks

10. Discuss the purpose of the book people
Discuss the purpose of the book people. What is their plan, according to Granger?
The intellectuals are “book burners” too, but they read and memorize the books first.
Thousands of people have memorized books.
Soon the destruction will end, and the saving will begin.
Each person will be called to recite their book.
People are books because when you read something, it changes who you are and how you see the world.

11. What “book” is Montag. What does he remember from it
What “book” is Montag? What does he remember from it? Discuss the meaning.
The Book of Ecclesiastes and part of Revelation from the Bible.
He remembers “And on either side of the river there was a tree of life…” p165.
This quote is about healing, re-birth, and hope.
The river is a symbol of re-birth.
The fruit is a symbol of nourishment and protection
“The healing of the nations” describes a future where people will work together

12. What is the phoenix myth? How does this apply to the novel? To Montag?
The phoenix is a mythical creature that was said to burn himself, being re-born from the ashes.
Granger applies this to mankind, always destroying himself with war, only to rebuild later.
Mankind, however, remembers how terrible war is.
Montag is like the phoenix:
He burned his previous life /career
Is reborn in the river
Becomes a new man with a new purpose