1. Fahrenheit 451 Themes
Theme Chart Notes

2. Theme Topic: Knowledge vs Ignorance
Firemen destroy knowledge (books)
Government promotes ignorance
What is critical thinking?
Challenging ideas rather than accepting them
Look for the contrast between Faber and Captain Beatty
Look for Montag’s journey from ignorance to enlightenment
What is enlightenment you say?

3. Theme Topic: Government Control/ Conformity
Government Control – The government seeks to control the people by making them ignorant of their history
How could this be a form of control?
Conformity – In this fictional world it is highly prized to be the SAME.
No one is allowed to have individual thoughts
Interestingly this is SELF-ENFORCED by the citizens...hmmmm, sound familiar?
What are some similarities to our modern society?

4. Theme Topic: Over-reliance on Technology
TV and electronics are the enemy (even though they seem like amazing advancements that we’d all enjoy)!
The argument for the advanced technology is that people are HAPPIER when they DON’T have to THINK!
Sound familiar? I love a good Kardashian episode...don’t you?
What are the problems with becoming too overly reliant on technology?
Look for these for your theme chart

5. Theme Topic: Man vs Natural World
Think about “There Will Come Soft Rains”
Who won? Man or the Natural World?
Who ultimately has more control?
Man = Technology/government/conformity
Natural World = engagement/truth/living
What is our life cycle? How does technology work to eliminate the natural cycle of life?

6. Theme Topic: Dissatisfaction
Are you really happy?
Everyone in this novel seems to be happy...they have what we all want! The best that money can buy in technological advances!
Watch TV all day, have food made for them at any time, drive cars as fast as they want
Sounds like a dream right? Or is it?

7. Theme Topic: Violence
The futuristic world of Fahrenheit 451 is violent
They have no respect for human life
Violence is an outlet for pent-up emotions
Why do you think this is? As we read, and consider how the other themes relate to this theme...is there a problem here?

8. Theme Topic: Censorship
No one is able to think independently
If they have an original idea, it is quelled immediately – They may be put in jail or sent to a doctor for psychological help
This is connected to books....but don’t let that bother you (even if you don’t love to read)...the problem is NO ONE IS ABLE TO SPEAK HIS/HER MIND! (Books are merely symbolic of this problem!)

9. Theme Chart pgs. 3-14 Main Points Setting Characters Relation to Theme
Montag is a fireman that sets fires
Montag meets Clarisse and she asks him if he’s happy
Montag finds his wife has tried to commit suicide
He’s on a street and it’s dark
Montag’s House and a war is beginning
Montag – a fireman and the protagonist
Clarisse – 17 & crazy, insightful
Mildred -
Violence – Montag seems obsessed with burning
Dissatifaction – mildred’s attempted suicide and Guy’s admission that he isn’t happy

10. Theme Chart pgs. 14-28 Main Points Setting Characters
Relation to Theme
Mildred gets her stomach pumped
Montag sees Clarisse (dandelion test)– He’s not in love
The mechanical hound threatens Montag
Montag’s House
On the street
Fire Station
Midred
Montag
Clarisse
Captain Beatty
Dissatisfaction – Mildred’s denial of her suicide attempt and Montag is not in love
Violence/Government Control – The hound kills people to show the power of the government over the community (Over reliance on technology

11. Theme Chart pgs. 28-42 Main Points Setting Characters
Relation to Theme
Clarisse explains why she’s “antisocial”
Montag steals a book
The woman commits suicide by burning herself
On the street
The burning woman’s house
Clarisse and Montag
Captain Beatty, Stoneman and Black
Woman who burned
Violence – Clarisse’s classmates hurt each other, Fun Parks
Conformity – Everyone is expected to be the same (high school)
Knowledge vs Ignorance – Montag is moving towards knowledge
Violence/Dissatisfaction – woman kills herself

12. Captain Beatty shows up at Montag’s house
Theme Chart pgs
Main Points
Setting
Characters
Relation to Theme
Montag feels like Mildred’s TV family is more important to her
Montag finds out that Clarisse is dead
Captain Beatty shows up at Montag’s house
Montag’s house
Mildred and Montag
Overreliance on Tech – Mildred
Dissatisfaction – Montag
Violence – Clarisse has been hit by a car

13. Theme Chart pgs. 53-68 Main Points Setting Characters
Relation to Theme
Captain Beatty explains how the firemen came to have their jobs
Montag tells Mildred about the books
They read together
Montag’s house
Mildred
Montag
Beatty
Knowledge vs ignorance – society used to move slower and had time to think , Montag is trying to become knowledgable

14. Theme Chart pgs 68-80 Main Points Setting Characters Relation to theme
Montag calls Faber
Montag has headed out to make copies of the Bible
Montag tries to memorize the Bible but he is too distracted
Montag’s house
The train
Faber – retired English professor Montag met at a park
Montag
Mildred
Censorship – Books are not allowed so people are hiding them
Man vs natural world – advertisements are man-made and he needs nature’s peace

15. Theme Chart 80-93 Main Points Setting Characters Relation to theme
Montag arrives at Faber’s
3 solutions for society – quality, leisure time, right to action
Want to cause doubt about the firemen by hiding books in their houses
Faber’s House
Faber
Montag
Knowledge vs Ignorance – Faber has knowledge and Montag is growing
Censorship – Making copies of censored material

16. Theme Chart 93-107 Main Points Setting Characters Relation to theme
Montag goes home to Mildred and her friends
Montag reads “Dover Beach” to the women
Montag comes face to face with Beatty finally (Faber is in his ear)
Montag’s house
Firehouse
Montag
Mildred
Mrs. Bowels and Mrs. Phelps – Mildred’s friends
Captain Beatty
(Faber in Montag’s ear)
Dissatisfaction – Women are unhappy but can’t admit it
Knowledge vs Ignorance – Montag is becoming knowledgeable while Mildred/friends stay ignorant
Over-reliance on technology – the women talk about their TV “family”

17. Theme Chart pg 107-121 Main Points
The alarm goes off and the firemen and Montag drive to his house
Montag burns his own house and Beatty
Montag burns the hound and gets his leg hit by car
Setting
Firehouse
Montag’s house
Characters
Montag, Beatty, Faber (in his ear)
Mildred
The hound
Relation to theme
Censorship – Burning Montag’s house to keep him from reading books
Government Control – Captain Beatty maintains control
Violence – Montag kills Beatty and hound
Man vs Nature – Montag is faced with man-made problems
Knowledge vs Ignorance – When Montag kills Beatty, he is showing his enlightenment

18. Theme Chart 121-136 Main Points Setting Characters Relation to theme
Montag is almost run over by a car
Plants books in Fireman Black’s house
Faber and Montag decide on a plan – Faber to St. Louis to make copies of Bible, Montag to go find the smart hobos
Faber’s house
A street
The Blacks’ house
Faber
Montag
New hound
Kids from the car
Violence – Montag is a target on the road
Government Control – The war has started, but the government wants people to focus on the man hunt
Over reliance on technology – TVs, mechanical hound

19. Theme Chart pgs 136-150 Main Points Setting Characters
Relation to theme
Montag runs – He’s being chased by a new mechanical hound
The TV tells everyone to look outside on the count of 10
Montag finds the hobos and Granger gives him a chemical that changes his scent
City streets
Hobo camp
Montag
Hound
Granger – Smart, rustic hobo
Government control – the government controls the people in their search for Montag
Man vs Nature – Montag comes to appreciate the natural world (gains “leisure” time)

20. Theme Chart pgs 150-166 Main Points Setting Characters
Relation to theme
The government kills a man who isn’t Montag
Granger tells Montag that there is a large group of people who have memorized books
A bomb hits the city and Montag leads the group on their way
Hobo camp
Montag
Granger
Government control – they choose what the people see (“Montag’s” death), the bomb drops and no one is warned
Violence – Killing an innocent man
Knowledge vs ignorance – Montag has finally become knowledgeable
Over reliance on technology – the bomb is a product of modern technology
Man vs Natural World – man is now left to start at the beginning with nature