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Summary and Analysis of Part I
Part One: The Hearth and the Salamander Summary: Set in the 24th century, Fahrenheit 451 opens with Guy Montag, the protagonist, in the middle of a regular night at work. Montag is a fireman, and in the 24th century, firemen burn down houses where illegal books are kept. Burning books and houses gives Montag a great sense of happiness and satisfaction. Bradbury writes, "Montag grinned the fierce grin of all men singed and driven by black flame." (p.4) As Montag walks home from work that night, he meets Clarisse McClellan, his 17 year old neighbor. Montag is at once taken aback by and drawn to the precocious girl's inquisitiveness. Clarisse loves nature, doesn't watch television, and hates cars that drive fast. She questions him steadily about his perception of the world, leaving him with the query "Are you happy?" Clarisse leaves a strong impression on Montag, and he continues to reflect on their brief encounter and her very different way of viewing the world. After some time, Montag comes to terms with his answer to Clarisse's final question. He is not happy. Montag enters his modern home and retires to his bedroom, where he finds that his wife, Mildred, has overdosed on sleeping pills. Montag is shocked and immediately calls the paramedics. Technicians arrive at the house, pump Mildred's stomach and give her a complete transfusion with various technological instruments. Neither of the paramedics are doctors, a fact Montag finds surprising. However, the paramedics explain that they perform these same procedures many times a night, and that it is a very regular occurrence. When the medics depart, the relieved yet shaken Montag reflects on the impersonal and tragic nature of his society. The next morning, Millie robotically goes about her daily routine, not recalling the previous night's episode. When Montag attempts to discuss the issue, Millie reacts with dismissive disbelief, eager to return her attention to the diversions of the seashell radios constantly inserted in her ears and the people on the three-wall television, whom she calls her "family". On his way to work, Montag runs into Clarisse again, and again she questions him incessantly about his feelings for his wife and his work. Upon arriving at the fire station, Montag passes the Mechanical Hound, a massive robotic police dog which, once set to an individual's chemical balance, is able to locate and annihilate its prey. Montag is unnerved when the hound growls at him, and addresses his concern to his boss, Chief Beatty. Beatty dismisses the issue, making patronizing references to the Hound and Montag's daily aversion to it. During the next week, Montag sees Clarisse everyday and finds himself looking forward to his conversations with the eccentric, curious girl. He is disappointed when Clarisse no longer appears on his walks to and from work. With whispers of a possible impending war on the radio and television, Montag becomes increasingly introspective about his job and the people whose books and homes he destroys. One evening, an alarm comes in, calling the firemen to an old house where the owner, an older woman, refuses to abandon her home. Defiantly, the woman insists on dying among her books and lights the match that eventually takes her life along with her home and all her books. During the melee, Montag steals one of the woman's books and takes it home with him that evening. Montag returns home shaken by the woman's death and nervous about his illegal acquisition. As he and Millie lie in their respective twin beds, Montag finds himself unable to recall how and where they met. He asks Millie if she remembers, but she doesn't, and is not bothered by it. Montag is overcome with thoughts of his loveless, lifeless marriage and the modern technologies his wife spends her days immersed in. Montag questions her about Clarisse, who he has not seen in days, and Mildred says she had forgotten to tell him that Clarisse was struck by a car and killed four days earlier. Her family has since moved away. Montag is very upset to hear this news and can't believe Millie forgot to tell him. He falls asleep with his stolen book hidden under his pillow. In the morning, Montag wakes up feeling ill and unsure of whether he can go to work. Millie responds with disbelief and annoyance rather than compassion, and Montag is in turn annoyed by her lack of interest in his concerns. Captain Beatty arrives to speak with Montag, somehow knowing that he feels ill and would be taking the evening off. He lectures Montag on how society has evolved into the current technological age, leaving little room for those who deviate from the structured, homogeneous conformity that has come to rule. Emphasizing structured routine rather than original thought, Beatty asserts that people are not born equal, but are made equal through laws and regulation. In the current system, people are less likely to offend each other, and thus everyone is better off. While Beatty is visiting the Montags, Millie nervously organizes the bedroom. At one point she tries to fluff Montag's pillow, but because he has hidden a book underneath it he won't let her. Millie insists and places her hand under the pillow. She feels the outline of the book and is shocked. Although she doesn't turn her husband in, Millie asks Beatty what would happen if a fireman brought a book home. Beatty mentions firemen are occasionally overcome by curiosity about the books they burn and may steal one to satiate that curiosity. When this happens, he continues, they are given a 24-hour respite to come to their senses and burn the book before their coworkers must do so for them. Montag becomes paranoid that Beatty knows that he has stolen not only one, but nearly 20 books over the course of his career. He feels compelled to tell Millie his secret and shows her his collection. Millie panics, insisting that they burn the books. Before the issue is resolved, someone comes to the door, prompting terror in both Montag and Millie. The Montags don't answer the door, and eventually the visitor departs, leaving the couple alone with their illegal library. Amidst his wife's protests and declarations of the worthlessness of books, Montag opens a book and begins to read. Analysis'The Hearth and the Salamander', the first of three parts comprising Fahrenheit 451, chronicles Montag's realization that he is unhappy and unfulfilled and marks the beginning of his quest to change his life. In this section, Bradbury advances the larger idea that without the freedom to seek truth, it is impossible to find true fulfillment. This concept is expressed through the clear contrast between the three major characters we meet in this section. Millie is unaware of and uninterested in her capacity for original thought. She is so miserable that she escapes from reality by constantly immersing herself in her seashell radio, three wall parlor room television, and an addiction to sleeping pills. Sadly, Millie doesn't even recognize her own dissatisfaction and refuses to admit she attempted suicide. In contrast, Clarisse is truly, perfectly content with her life. She is curious about the world, and takes great notice of nature, social constructs and the behavior of people around her. Clarisse comes from a family where people sit around and talk at great length, a concept Montag finds staggering. Unfortunately, Clarisse falls victim to a speeding car, one of the aspects of society she despises so much. Finally, Montag represents the middle ground between these two extremes. Although he once thought he was happy, Montag realizes society is not perfect, as many believe it to be. Through his friendship with Clarisse, Montag discovers a sense of curiosity and thirst for knowledge that he never knew. First through Clarisse and then through books, Montag starts on a road to freedom and happiness. In Fahrenheit 451, Bradbury uses book burning as a symbol of the power censorship holds in this futuristic society. Through Fahrenheit 451, Bradbury appears to give warning to what might be in store for a society that allows anti-intellectualism to ferment and technology to take over. Written soon after the close of WWII, 'The Hearth and the Salamander', the opening section of Fahrenheit 451, provides a glimpse of how the world might have developed had Hitler won. At the same time, Bradbury alludes to the rampant McCarthyism in the American political climate at the time. The Un-American Activities Committee summoned textbooks for "evaluation", and McCarthy claimed many men and women involved in the arts, including well known authors, were Communists. 'The Hearth and the Salamander' introduces many symbols that retain importance throughout the novel. The symbol of "the book", the most feared and reviled enemy of the state, is significant. Books represent knowledge and awareness, but are illegal. When found they are burned, as are the homes in which they were stored. Yet, Montag finds himself drawn to them, and wonders what drives book owners, such as the old woman, to burn herself among her sacred possessions rather than leave them behind. In the opening paragraph, Bradbury likens burning book pages to pigeon wings. This early allusion to birds and flight speaks to the ability of books to incite freedom. The title of this section, 'The Hearth and the Salamander' alludes to images of fire, the tool of destruction that censors knowledge and ideas. The hearth is where the fire is built and burns strongest. In contrast, the salamander is a lizard said to survive in flames, and thus alludes to fire's inability to crush free thought. Montag, personifies the salamander, surrounded in flames, yet fighting against censorship. Fire represents purification as it is used to rid society of that which is undesirable. Books and the places where they are hidden are eradicated by fire, burned out of existence so as not to contaminate society. In his long discussion with Montag, Captain Beatty mentions the standard practice of immediately cremating the dead so society is not burdened with decaying bodies or memorials and the grief associated with them. Later, as Montag comes to realize the truth about his society, he recognizes fire as a form of oppression - a means of subduing the knowledge in books. Fire also represents awareness and memory. Upon greeting the firemen, the old woman who later burns to death among her books as a martyr for free thought, quotes Bishop Hugh Latimer, who was burned for heresy in the 16th century, saying, " . . . we shall this day light such a candle, by God's grace, in England, as I trust shall never be put out!" This quote rings true with Montag, who later laments, "you ever see a burnt house? It smolders for days. Well, this fire'll last me the rest of my life." Fire is also important for its transformative powers. In the opening paragraph of the novel, the author refers to the pleasure Montag took in seeing things changed by fire. Similarly, Montag changes with each fire he sets. Water, the opposing force to fire, takes on meaning as a metaphor for escape. Millie, ever in need of escape from the opportunity to think, uses her seashell radio to occupy her brain at night, as "an electronic ocean of sound . . . coming in on the shore of her unsleeping mind. . . Every night the waves came in and bore her off on their great tides of sound, floating her, wide-eyed, toward morning. There had been no night in the last two years that Mildred had not swum that sea". Montag also eventually finds escape through water, but he is running from an oppressive society rather than from reality. After questioning Clarisse about her motivation to walk in the rain and catch drops in her mouth, Montag begins to question himself, his career, and his marriage. While he does so, Montag tilts his head back, and for the first time, drinks in the raindrops. Additionally, there are allusions throughout 'The Hearth and the Salamander' to the intruding eye of oppression that monitors the people who live in Montag's dystopia. When the technicians pump Millie's stomach, Montag notices the tool they use looks like a writhing, mechanical one-eyed snake. Captain Beatty personifies intrusive oppression, knowing Montag is ill and that he is keeping books without being told. The Mechanical Hound, with its ability to track down and destroy people by their scent, is yet another symbol of the totalitarian state's constant observation. Even Clarisse innocently reminds Montag that "there's a man in the moon."
Summary and Analysis of Part II
Part II: The Sieve and the Sand Summary: Montag spends the rest of the rainy afternoon uneasily reading through books while Millie sits idly. As he reads, Montag is often reminded of Clarisse. Meanwhile, the already edgy couple is alarmed by a scratching at the door. Millie dismisses it as "just a dog", but Montag knows it is the Mechanical Hound. Luckily, the Hound leaves without causing a disturbance. Millie whines that there is no reason to read books and that that their house will be burned down if anyone finds out. Montag responds with a passionate rant, asserting that they really have no concept of what is going on in the world and that those who seek to learn are quickly quieted, just like Clarisse and the old woman. He talks of the ongoing wars and how people all over the world are toiling and starving while they live well and devote themselves to leisure. Montag is interrupted by the ringing phone. Millie answers it and is immediately enraptured in a conversation about a mindless television program. As Millie chats, Montag wonders what his next step will be. He recalls an encounter with an elderly man in a park a year earlier. The man was a former English Professor (all the liberal arts colleges had been closed some 40 years) named Faber. It was obvious to Montag that the old man had a book tucked in his coat, but the fireman did nothing about it. Faber's words echoed in his head, "I don't talk of things, sir, I talk of the meaning of things. I sit here and know I'm alive." Montag remembers he took down Faber's contact information, and retrieves it from his files. He uses another phone to call Faber, who is shocked to hear from him. Montag questions Faber about how many copies of the book he stole from the old woman are left in the country. Faber tells him there are no other copies of the book and nervously hangs up on him. When Millie and Montag finish their respective phone conversations, Millie has forgotten about the books in anticipation of her friends visiting to watch some television, while Montag's anxiety about the books has grown. As Montag deliberates on which of his books to hand over to Beatty, he wonders if Beatty might know of a specific title he possesses. Millie entreats him to get rid of all the books. Later, as he leaves to see Faber about getting a copy of the Bible made before he turns the original over to Beatty, he questions Millie about her beloved television characters, asking her if they love her, which they obviously cannot. She is befuddled by his questions, while he is saddened that she is so out of touch with reality. Montag gets on the subway, heading for Faber's apartment. On the way, he realizes how numb to the world he has become and wonders if he'll ever regain his sense of purpose. He recalls the frustration he felt as a child when he attempted the impossible task of filling a sieve with sand. He resolves to read and memorize the Bible he carries with him before he must return it to Beatty, but finds himself unable to retain any of what he reads, just as a sieve is unable to retain sand. He becomes increasingly frustrated as his attempts at concentration are foiled by the toothpaste jingle that is incessantly playing over the subway speakers. When Montag arrives at Faber's, the nervous old man is at first hesitant, but allows Montag in after ascertaining that he is alone. Montag tells the old professor that he is the only one who can help him now as Faber eagerly peruses the Bible. He muses about the portrayal of Christ on television and recalls that "there were a lot of lovely books once, before we let them go." Faber professes himself to be a coward for not having stood up in protest back when they were beginning to ban books. Montag asks Faber to help him understand his books, lamenting that society is missing something fundamental that allowed people to experience true happiness. Faber explains getting rid of books is not entirely to blame for society's superficiality. Rather, it is the quality of introspection, mystery and wonder found in books that society lacks. Faber asserts that books are feared because they "show the pores in the face of life" and make people uncomfortable. What the world needs, according to Faber, is quality of information like that found in books, the leisure to analyze and understand it, and the right to act on that understanding. Montag and Faber hatch a plan to bring down the oppressive system by planting books in the homes of firemen throughout the country and calling in alarms, to shake the people's faith in the men they both fear and revere for "protecting" the nation from the dangers of books. However, Faber retreats from idea, saying people are having too much fun to care about the issue. Instead, he suggests they should wait for the impending war to implode society so that they may start anew. The old man is obviously frustrated, disheartened by the state of affairs and feels helpless to do anything about it. Montag, in an attempt to elicit the passion obviously burning somewhere within Faber, begins tearing pages from the Bible. Faber pleads with him to stop and finally agrees to enlist an old friend to print copies of books for them. Montag worries that when he returns to the firehouse Captain Beatty will, with his powerful rhetoric, convince him that burning books is a noble public service. Faber gives Montag a small, green, bullet-shaped two-way radio of his own invention, similar to the seashell radios Millie is so fond of. They plan to communicate through the radio, and thus, from the safety of his own home, Faber will hear all Montag does and provide suggestions for how to act. Montag returns home and is eating alone in the kitchen when Mildred's friends, Mrs. Phelps and Mrs. Bowles, arrive to watch television with Millie. Montag, disturbed by the women's mindless pleasantries and lack of awareness of the world around them, unplugs the television walls and tries to engage the women in a discussion about the impending war. Mrs. Phelps is unconcerned about her third husband, who has gone to fight, and the women quickly turn the conversation to a recent television program. Montag persists, questioning the women about their children. Mrs. Phelps has none, and Mrs. Bowles has two, for whom she obviously feels no affinity. The conversation turns to politics, and Montag is disgusted to hear the women talk of how they voted for the current president because he was the more handsome of the two candidates. Montag then retrieves a book of poetry, the presence of which a shocked Millie explains by saying that every fireman is allowed to bring home one book a year to see how silly they are. At Faber's prompting, Montag agrees that this is true, and proceeds to read a poem, Dover Beach, to the three uncomfortable women. When he is finished, Mrs. Phelps is crying, though she cannot explain why, and Mrs. Bowles is angry with Montag for bringing about trouble. Mildred tries to calm the group, but the women are quite shaken and leave. Montag criticizes them as they go, telling them to think about the quality of their lives. Mildred goes to the bathroom to take some sleeping pills and Montag removes the radio from his ear as Faber begs him to stop, sure that he has gotten himself in trouble. Before Montag leaves for work, he retrieves his books from behind the refrigerator and notices some are missing. He realizes Millie must have begun putting them in the incinerator. He hides the remaining books in the backyard and goes on his way. He returns the radio to his ear and Faber advises him to act normally and stay relaxed when he gets to the firehouse. Montag is nervous when he arrives at work. The Mechanical Hound is gone; Montag wordlessly turns over a book to Beatty and sits down to play cards with him and the other men. Beatty begins to prod at Montag by disparaging books and quoting from literature. Faber continually advises Montag to keep quiet, which he does with some difficulty. An alarm comes in, and they go to answer it. When they arrive at the location, Montag looks up to discover they have been called to his own home. AnalysisIn 'The Sieve and the Sand', we witness Montag's continued awareness of transition. The title of this section provides a metaphor for Montag's frustration at not being able to immediately grasp what is true in the world. Through Montag's own recollection on the train, the reader sees Montag as a young boy, desperately trying to fill a sieve with sand, an impossible task. Likewise, Montag is frustrated to find himself a sieve of sorts, unable to retain what he reads from the Bible, however feverishly he tries. On a larger scale, it becomes apparent that it is not only the words of the Bible, but truth in general that Montag finds difficult to attain. Thus, he is frustrated that he cannot fill himself or feel whole. In contrast, Millie and others like her are sieves as well, unable and unwilling to grasp information even when it is made readily available to them. The introduction of Faber's character into the novel is quite significant. The old man represents knowledge. He is educated and realizes that book banning and book burning has made people less, rather than more, enlightened. Much of the imagery associated with Faber incorporates the color white - his walls, skin, hair, beard, eyes, are all described as white. Thus, his character is portrayed as pure and unspoiled amidst the technology that has sullied the minds and characters of so many others. Faber is likened to water, a cleansing, renewing entity, which, when combined with the fire associated with Montag, should, ideally, give rise to the "wine" of truth and knowledge. It is ironic that Faber tells Montag the world necessitates leisure, in addition to information and the right to act on free thought, because leisure is one entity that no one lacks. Here, Bradbury makes a distinction between the free time afforded by technology and the will and knowledge to use it productively. The theme of self-destruction runs through 'The Sieve and the Sand'. The reader sees Millie through the eyes of her husband as, "a wax doll melting in its own heat." By using the familiar images of heat and fire, Bradbury presents Millie as fostering her own self destruction by choosing to ignore and abandon reality rather than seek out truth, as her husband aspires to do. Despite his intentions, we see Montag display a self-destructive streak when he insists, despite Faber's admonishments, on engaging Millie and her friends and reading poetry to them. The theme of self-destruction is also visited during Montag and Faber's initial conversation in Faber's apartment, when Faber speaks of the proposed plot to undermine the authority of firemen by planting books in their homes by saying, "the salamander devours its tail." This image incorporates both the established symbol for firemen, and the idea of self-destruction present throughout the second part of the book. Montag's disdain for Millie's friends is a microcosm of his disdain for all of society. The women's selfishness, revealed through their nonchalance about the upcoming war in which their husbands will fight, and through their disregard for children, is in keeping with the prevalent attitudes of a society where maintaining one's own illusion of happiness is the only priority. This 'happiness' is advertised through the 'Cheshire Cat' smiles the women wear. The reader is cognizant that personal happiness in this society is only an illusion, reminded of Montag's realization that his own "burnt-in" smile no longer contorts his face. Montag discovers that he is not truly happy, but his wife and her friends are unable to see the truth. The poem that Montag chooses to read to his guests, "Dover Beach", presents themes found throughout the book, including loss of faith, the need to care and be cared for, the destruction of war, and the desire for happy illusions to be true. In addition, a "beach" conveys images of sand and water, two symbols also alluded to throughout the novel. At work, Montag deals with a barrage of quotes spewed from Beatty, disparaging books and their value. Meanwhile, Faber chirps in Montag's ear via radio, urging him to bite his tongue and not to accept Beatty's arguments. This scene, in which the reader can almost picture the angel Faber and the devil Beatty competing for Montag's sympathy and attention, encompasses the ongoing struggle between good and evil that has, until now, been raging in Montag's mind. In keeping with its frantic tone, 'The Sieve and the Sand' ends with the story's climax - the arrival of the firemen at Montag's house. At this point, Montag is stripped of his former life. Because he deviated from the norm, choosing books and truth over the illusion of happiness he once embraced, Montag will lose his home and livelihood.
Summary and Analysis of Part III
Part III: Burning Bright Summary: Having just arrived at his own house in response to a fire alarm, Montag is numb with disbelief. His coworkers rush into his house as Millie, who turned him in, rushes out and hurries by without a word. Captain Beatty needles him, chiding him for thinking he could keep his books concealed and asking why he didn't turn them in when the Hound came sniffing around. As Beatty continues his lecture, Faber speaks to Montag through their secret radio asking what is going on and telling him to run away. However, Montag explains he is trapped. Any attempt to escape will send the Mechanical Hound after him. Beatty orders Montag to burn down the house on his own, room by room, with a flamethrower. As if living a nightmare, Montag complies, methodically destroying all his possessions. When finished, he stands in front of Beatty, numb and dejected, but still holding on to the flamethrower. Beatty asks why Montag felt the need to keep books. When Montag doesn't answer, Beatty hits him, knocking Faber's secret radio from his ear. Beatty picks it up, saying he will have to trace it and, "drop in on your friend". In silence, Montag switches the safety catch on the flamethrower. At first, Beatty is taken aback, but he quickly recovers and continues his berating speech, demanding that Montag turn the weapon over. Montag refuses, flips the switch, and burns Beatty to death. The Mechanical Hound appears on the scene, and stabs Montag in the leg with his powerful, long needle. Montag fights back with his flamethrower, destroying the machine. Free of the Hound, Montag takes of running, forcing his leg forward even though it causes him immense pain. Before fleeing his house, Montag remembers the books in his garden, and goes to save them. He finds four books remaining, gathers them up and flees the scene. Under the strain, his leg collapses and he falls to the ground. Crying uncontrollably, Montag realizes Beatty had wanted to die. He knew Montag was going to kill him, and rather than making him stop or dodging the flames, Beatty stood still, waiting for death. Montag's thoughts are interrupted by the sound of hurried footsteps. He quickly rises to his feet and stumbles off into the night, evading capture. Through his seashell radio, he hears police bulletins about his flight and the authorities in pursuit. With nowhere else to go, Montag runs toward Faber's house. With police helicopters circling above and declarations of war echoing from the radio, Montag slips into a gas station restroom to wash up. Afterwards, as he walks across the boulevard, a speeding car trains its headlights on him. Thinking it is a police car, Montag begins to run, dropping a book in the process. Just as the car catches up to him, he falls to the ground and it veers away, running over the tip of his finger. In fact, it wasn't the police at all, but a group of kids that go speeding off into the night. They thought aiming for Montag was entertainment, and only avoided driving over him because it would have caused the car to flip over. Had he not fallen, the car would most likely have crashed right into him. Shaken, Montag continues on his way, stopping only to plant books in a fellow fireman's home. Upon arriving at Faber's, Montag tells the old man that he killed Beatty and confesses that he doesn't know what to do next. He apologizes for putting Faber in danger by coming to his home, but the old man thanks him for making him feel alive again. He advises Montag to follow the river down to the old train tracks and walk along them, in the hope that he will discover one of the hobo "walking camps" which provide refuge for the aging, hunted intellectuals deemed dangerous to society. Faber plans to go to St. Louis to track down a retired printer friend and use money Montag brought with him to print books. The two men turn on Faber's tiny television for news on the chase, and learn that another Mechanical Hound has been dispatched to find and kill Montag. To mask his trail, Montag takes Faber's oldest, dirtiest clothes and instructs the man to burn what he has touched, wipe down his home with alcohol, and to turn his air-conditioning and sprinklers on full-blast. Montag takes off running, but pauses to peer into a house window to see how the search is progressing on the television. He sees the hound running through town and stopping in front of Faber's house for a nervous moment before bounding away. Slightly relieved, Montag continues on as the radio announcer prompts everyone in the area to simultaneously look outside their homes for Montag. Luckily, by the time the given count has expired, Montag has reached the river, where he strips, douses himself in alcohol, and changes into Faber's dirty clothing before floating off down the river, thinking about fire and burning. Soon afterwards, Montag's feet touch the ground and he reaches the riverbank. The smell of hay wafts through the air, bringing back a childhood memory of visiting a barn. He fantasizes about sleeping on a bed of warm, dry hay in a barn loft and awaking to a cool glass of milk and some fruit left for him by a lovely young woman reminiscent of Clarisse. His daydream is interrupted when a deer moves nearby. At first, the nervous Montag thinks it is the Mechanical Hound, but is relieved to realize his mistake. Montag wanders until he comes to train tracks, which he follows, as Faber advised, unable to shake a distinct feeling that Clarisse had once followed the same path. After half an hour, he sees the flicker of a fire in the distance. When he finally reaches it, he finds a group of scruffy-looking men gathered around it, engaged in discussion. The group's unofficial leader, Granger, addresses Montag by name, inviting him to join them and giving him coffee. Granger recognized Montag from the police search that the men have been following on a portable television. To help mask his scent from the Mechanical Hound, Granger gives Montag a bitter drink that will change his chemical balance. The men watch the small television together, and Montag is shocked to see the Mechanical Hound hunt down and kill an innocent man. The announcer proclaims that Montag has been caught and killed, ending the search. The police, not wanting to lose face or the confidence of the people, have targeted a random citizen rather than admit they lost track of Montag. After a few moments, Granger introduces the shaken Montag to his companions. They are all old intellectuals: authors, professors and clergymen who are hiding out along the tracks to avoid imprisonment. Each of the men, Montag learns, has memorized a work of literature, so they may keep books alive until it is safe to print them again. Granger explains that they will pass their knowledge through generations until such a time when people are again enlightened enough to seek out ideas and opportunities to learn. The men move downstream and rest for the night. In the morning, enemy bombs annihilate the city. Watching the distant explosion, and fighting against the force the bomb throws on the riverbank, Montag is unmoved when he realizes Mildred most likely lies dead in the rubble. Granger talks of being saddened when his grandfather passed on because he would no longer be around to continue his many good works. Montag cannot think of a single way in which Millie had an affect on the world and is saddened. Amidst visions of the war's destruction and Millie's fate, Montag finally remembers where he met her - Chicago. Later, the men cook some bacon for breakfast, during which Granger compares society to the mythical phoenix. Every so often, the phoenix would burn itself to death only to spring to life again, born anew from the ashes. He hopes that eventually, man will learn the lessons of history and stop destroying his society. The novel closes with the men setting off toward the city to begin the city's rebirth. AnalysisThe title of the third section, "Burning Bright", references the many allusions to fire and burning in the text. First, Montag burns his home and his possessions. Ironically, Montag does not grieve the loss of his home or possessions. In contrast, he feels unburdened by releasing himself from the intrusive television walls that plagued his life. Thus, Montag's flamethrower dispenses powers of destruction and of cleansing. Before ordering him to burn down his own house, Beatty baits Montag, comparing him as Icarus and thus alluding that Montag, by harboring books, has flown too close to the sun and shall now fall to his death. With this analogy, Beatty argues that those who defy the law of the land will meet their end. Ironically, Beatty is actually the man that dies, while Montag escapes and begins a new life. When Montag kills Beatty with the flamethrower, Bradbury compares him to a charred wax doll, a description reminiscent of an earlier reference to Millie as a wax doll melting under its own heat. Later on, Montag encounters a camp fire when he meets Granger and the other intellectuals. This fire is welcoming, different from the fire Montag has always known, and shows him that fire can be a source of warmth and sustenance rather than a source of death and destruction. Finally, Montag witnesses the fire and destruction the atomic bombs bring to the city. Throughout this section, many things are "burning bright", including Montag's idealism and adherence to promoting truth and knowledge. Soon after killing Beatty, Montag realizes Beatty wanted to die. He made no effort to avoid the flames. Here, Bradbury acknowledges that even people involved in oppression can know their actions are wrong, but are too weak to fight against them. Therefore, Beatty's death is truly one of self-destruction. His own inaction allows his life to reach this point, and knowing he is unhappy and dissatisfied, Beatty allows Montag to burn him to death. As Montag flees, having been stabbed by the Mechanical Hound, his leg is injured, "like a chunk of burnt pine log he was carrying along as a penance for some obscure sin." In society's view, Montag's sin is harboring books. But, in Montag's view, he has sinned many times, burning houses and books of innocent people. Montag suffers for all the truth he has destroyed, but survives because his actions now are beneficial to maintaining an intellectual society. While Montag flees, he hears an announcement that war has been proclaimed. Simultaneously, Montag has begun his own war. He is committed to his cause, murdered the enemy, and is on the run to survive. As society battles against itself, Montag battles against society. Throughout the book, whispers of war grow in frequency along with the strengthening of Montag's internal turmoil and disillusion. Thus, it is only fitting that the two conflicts come to a head at the same time. The book's dramatic peak occurs in this section, as Montag's house is destroyed, his marriage ends, he kills his boss, runs for his life, finds safety, and watches as the city is destroyed. In part three, Montag's old life is destroyed and he is re-born when he emerges from the river to begin anew. Montag floats down the river in peace and with ease, and the large body of water carefully deposits him on the riverbank. Representing renewal and rebirth, the river offers Montag a new chance at life, away from the city, and with new friends who share his beliefs. He walks up on the shore dressed as an intellectual, wearing Faber's clothes, and cleansed of his kerosene scent. Montag's transformation is completed when he drinks the elixir offered him by the men on the tracks. Having altered the chemical composition of his body scent, he is no longer Montag the fireman or Montag the fugitive. Now he is Montag the intellectual, keeper of truth. The men that Montag meets on the tracks, led by Granger, are the antithesis of those he left behind in the city. They are educated men who love and revere books, rather than burning them. Their camp fire serves as a beacon of light for Montag to follow, representing warmth and safety rather than the destruction he is used to. When the man set up to look like Montag is killed, it is symbolic not only of the dishonesty perpetuated by society, but of the death of Montag the fireman. Having completed his metamorphosis, Montag is a new person. Thus, when Granger says, "welcome back from the dead," he is actually welcoming the new Montag to a life of thinking and awareness, as opposed to the illusion of happy existence he had previously known. Granger refers to the lessons of history indirectly in two ways. He talks fondly of his grandfather, from whom he took the lesson that one must strive to contribute to the world and leave something behind. He also talks of the mythical phoenix and how it continually burned itself and was reborn, only to make the same mistake again and again for lack of memory. Society has taken after the phoenix. After the city is destroyed, those left along the tracks set out to rebuild it. There is hope in this, as these are men who mind the lessons of history. The book concludes with Granger, Montag, and his newfound friends walking toward the destroyed city. Hope for the chance to build a new society and hope for the future of man burns bright in the hearts and minds of these men.
ClassicNote on Fahrenheit 451
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