Fahrenheit 451 Symbols

Farhenheit 451

In the novel, Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury uses symbolism and characterization to reflect the journey of humanity’s fall to a dystopian society run by technology. Bradbury uses censorship to show the readers what is wrong with their ever-changing culture. What is happening and what will happen to society concerning technology, media, and other important industries (such as news, fashion, music, arts, ets.) is shown through the way he portrays his characters in how they act, look, dress, and speak. These particular changes occur, in the book, in the distant future, but seem to correlate with the present. The changes that Bradbury implies will take place is represented by his characters which seem to represent modern groups of people and how they are stereotyped today.

In the book, Mildred Montag symbolizes what we would today call millennials. The millennial generation today is often marked by an increased use and familiarity with communications devices, media, and digital technologies. This generation has also been known for the historically high rates of unemployment among young people, the want/need for instant gratification, and the lack of emotional connection to significant others. In the book, there is no reference to Millie montag having a job or outside commitment of any kind. She receives instant gratification from from the ‘family’, which is an interactive television series. Another trait shown in the book is her lack of an emotional connection to her husband. In the book it states, “‘When did we meet? And where?’ ‘When did we meet for what?’ she asked. ‘I mean--originally.’ He knew she must be frowning in the dark. He clarified it. ‘The first time we ever met, where was it, and when?’ ‘Why it was at--’ she stopped. ‘I don’t know,’ she said.” (Bradbury 43). In this quote, the fact that Millie was not sure how her and her husband met showed she was not committed enough to their relationship to remember when and where they met. In all of the encounters we see between Millie and Guy, she has her ears buds in, and in most encounters she is watching the “family”. Millie, obviously emotionally distant, tries to shove all of her feelings down. Her “seashells” and televisions serve as barriers between her and Guy and distract her from her emotions. When Guy pretends to be sick to stay home from work and read, he describes Millie without opening his eyes. “..., her hair burnt by chemicals to brittle straw, her eyes with a kind of cataract unseen but suspect far behind the pupils, the reddened pouting lips, the body as thin as a praying mantis from dieting, and her flesh like white bacon.”(Bradbury 48). Guy’s description of Mildred shows us that she, like many women, have conform to social standards of beauty. She has been dieting to keep herself thin, her hair, fried from the different types of chemicals and beauty products to do her hair in the most popular style. The cataracts are a sub-symbol of Millie. The cataracts are a kind of sheet or drape that has been pulled over her eyes by the constant impacts of media. Overall throughout the novel, Mildred Montag shows to be shallow and numbed when it comes to emotions.

Clarisse McClellan and Guy Montag bot symbolize the open-minded, or in modern terms, woke, portion of society in both circumstances. These characters are the antithesis’ or Mildred Montag. Clarisse is a wide-eyed, 17 year old girl who is infatuated with life and nature, whereas Millie is cold, heartless, and conforming to society. Clarisse is aware of her surroundings and seems to be the most “human” in the novel. She also has no taste for any of the technology that everyone seems to depend on. Clarisse’s inquisitiveness is really what sparks Montag’s first surge into his own self-examination. Clarisse doesn’t intend to teach him anything but she wants to learn from him, and her constant questioning pushes Montag, who is already doubtful and questioning himself, over the edge. Clarisse is already aware of some social injustices and she helps Montag to see them, too. By asking these questions she opens his mind. In the novel, it states, “He felt she was walking in a circle around him quietly, and turning him end for end, shaking him quietly, and emptying his pockets, without once moving herself.” (Bradbury 6). By the way Clarisse