Fahrenheit 451 Summary
Set in the 24th century, Fahrenheit 451 tells the story of the protagonist, Guy Montag. At first, Montag takes pleasure in his profession as a fireman, burning illegally owned books and the homes of their owners. However, Montag soon begins to question the value of his profession and, in turn, his life. Throughout the novel Montag struggles with his existence, eventually fleeing his oppressive, censored society and joining an underground network of intellectuals. With his newfound friends, Montag witnesses the atomic destruction if his former city and dedicates himself to rebuilding a literate and cultural society.
At the beginning of the novel, Montag develops a friendship with his 17 year old neighbor, Clarisse McClellan, whose humanistic outlook and inquisitive nature prompt Montag to examine his life. Soon, he realizes he is unhappy and no longer loves his wife, Millie. Meanwhile, Millie is unwilling to deal with reality and instead chooses to immerse herself in interactive television, seashell radio, and an addiction to tranquilizers. Unfulfilled by his occupation and discontent with a society unconcerned with reports of an impending atomic war, Montag begins to question the ways of the world. Specifically, Montag wonders why books are perceived to be so dangerous and why some people are so loyal to them. What power lies in books?
Driven by his increasing uneasiness, Montag steals a book from a collection he is sent to burn. At the scene of the burning, Montag is shaken when the owner of the books, an older woman, refuses to leave her home. Instead, the woman sets fire to her kerosene soaked house and remains there as it, and she, are destroyed by flames. The woman's dedication to her books makes Montag realize that perhaps the happiness he lacks can be found in books. After the burning, Montag returns home, feeling ill as he relives the woman's horrific death. He begins to realize that although, over the past ten years, he thought he was serving society as a fireman, he was actually purely an instrument of destruction. That night, in a discussion with Millie, Montag learns that his friend Clarisse was killed by a speeding car more than a week earlier. Upon hearing this news, Montag feels even more ill. He falls asleep that night with his stolen book hidden underneath his pillow.
The next day, Montag refuses to attend work, claiming that he is sick. His boss, Captain Beatty, visits Montag that morning, and appears to somehow be aware of the internal struggle Montag is suffering through, and that Montag might possess books. Beatty lectures Montag about the offensiveness of books and the superiority of their current society, where homogeneity and structure are mandated, to the old society where free thought was encouraged and people were permitted to express differing opinions. During Beatty's visit, Millie nervously organizes the bedroom and tries to pull Montag's pillow away. When he won't let her, she puts her hand underneath it and finds the hidden book. Millie is astonished, and although she does not directly give up her husband, she asks Beatty what would happen if a fireman brought a book home. Beatty says firemen are allowed to bring a book home, but must burn it within 24 hours.
When Beatty departs, Montag retrieves some 20 books that he has stolen from alarms over the years and begins to read. Unsure as to what to do next, Montag recalls meeting a retired professor, Faber, a year earlier and discussing with the old man the value of ideas. He decides to visit Faber, who is at first afraid to speak with him, fearing that he will be the fireman's next victim. However, as the two men grow to trust one another, Faber becomes a mentor to Montag, sharing insight with the fireman and conspiring with him to have copies of his books made. Faber gives Montag a small two-way radio of his own invention to insert in his ear so that the two men will always be in communication.
At home, Montag becomes disgusted with his wife and her friends as they sit idly, watching television and engaging in gossip that reveals their selfishness and lack of awareness or concern for the impending atomic war. Against Faber's objections streaming through the secret radio echoing in his ear, Montag engages the women in a debate about family and politics. Next, he reads to them from a book of poetry. Mildred's friends react emotionally to Montag's reading, crying and not understanding the source of their tears. When Mildred's two shaken friends depart, she retires to her room to take some sleeping pills and Montag hides his books in the backyard before heading off to work, where Beatty engages in more anti-book, anti-intellectual rhetoric. The firemen are called to an alarm, and Montag is dismayed to discover that it is his own house that is to be burned. His wife Millie reported him.
After burning his home and possessions by himself, room by room, as ordered by Captain Beatty, Montag is chided by his boss, and the two men engage in a scuffle, during which Faber's radio is knocked from Montag's ear. When Beatty remarks that both Montag and his "friend" (Faber) will be dealt with severely, Montag threatens him with the flamethrower. When Beatty continues to verbally abuse him, Montag flips the switch and kills the chief. At once, the Mechanical Hound, a computerized attack dog that can track down any human being by scent, pursues him. The Hound stabs him in the leg with a procaine needle, but Montag is able to annihilate it with the flamethrower before it can do more damage. Montag retrieves his remaining books from the yard before running to Faber's. On the way, he pauses to plant the books in the home of fireman Black, briefly collects himself at a gas station where he hears reports that war has been declared, and when crossing the road is nearly run over by a reckless driver.
Faber provides refuge for Montag, who is being hotly pursued by a second Mechanical Hound and the authorities. Faber provides Montag with some old clothes (masking his scent and thus impeding the Mechanical Hound), and tells him to go to the river and float downstream to the train tracks, where he will hopefully find a hobo camp of intellectual outlaws who can help him. In turn, Montag encourages Faber to turn on all of his sprinklers to throw the Hound of his scent. Montag departs, Faber heeds his advice, and then sets off for St. Louis to commission a former printer he knows to print some books. Montag floats down the river, successfully avoiding the Hound, and comes upon a group of former writers, clergymen, and academics by the riverbank. The leader of the group, an author named Granger, welcomes Montag and offers him a concoction to change his pH so that the Hound cannot detect his presence. The men then use a portable television to watch the police chase Montag's escape has caused. Montag is shocked to see the Mechanical Hound kill another man as the announcer proclaims, "Montag is dead!" The police, not wanting to lose the confidence of the public, set the Hound after an innocent man when it lost Montag's scent.
Granger tells Montag how the men in his camp have each memorized literary works so that someday, when it is safe to do so, they can again print books, recreating them from memory. When atomic bombs destroy the city, the men set out to sift through the rubble and begin anew. They plan to foster a society where books and free thought can flourish.
451 Градус по Фаренгейту Резюме
Расположенный в 24 веке, по Фаренгейту 451 рассказывает историю главного героя, Гай Монтаг. Во-первых, Монтаг получает удовольствие в своей профессии, как пожарный, жжение незаконно владели книги и дома их владельцев. Тем не менее, в ближайшее время Монтаг начинает сомневаться в ценности своей профессии и, в свою очередь, свою жизнь. На протяжении всего романа Монтаг борется с его существования, в конце концов бегут его гнетущую, цензуре общества и вступлении в подпольную сеть интеллектуалов. С его обретенными друзьями, Монтаг свидетелей атомная разрушения, если его бывшего города и посвящает себя восстановление грамотный и культурное общество.
В начале романа, Монтаг развивает дружбу с его 17-летней соседки, Клариссы McClellan, чьи гуманистического мировоззрения и любознательный характер подскажут Монтаг изучить его жизнь. Вскоре он понимает, что он не является несчастным и больше не любит свою жену, Милли. Между тем, Милли не желает иметь дело с реальностью, а вместо этого выбирает погрузиться в интерактивном телевидении, радио, раковины и пристрастия к транквилизаторов. Неисполненное его оккупации и недовольства общества не заботясь с сообщениями о готовящемся атомной войны, Монтаг начинает сомневаться в пути мира. В частности, Монтаг удивляется, почему книги воспринимается так опасно и почему некоторые люди так лояльны к ним. Какая сила лежит в книгах?
Движимый возрастающей тревожности, Монтаг крадет книгу из коллекции он послал, чтобы сжечь. На месте сожжения, Монтаг потрясен, когда владелец книг, пожилая женщина, отказывается покинуть свой дом. Вместо этого, женщина поджигает ее керосином, смоченным дома и остается там, а она, разрушены огнем. Посвящение женщины в своих книгах дает понять, что Монтаг, возможно, счастье ему не хватает, можно найти в книгах. После сжигания, Монтаг возвращается домой, чувствуя себя плохо, как он вновь переживает ужасную смерть женщины. Он начинает понимать, что, хотя за последние десять лет, он думал, что служение обществу, как пожарный, он был на самом деле чисто инструментом уничтожения. В ту ночь, в беседе с Милли, Монтаг узнает, что его друг был убит Кларисса на большой скорости автомобиля более чем на неделю раньше. Услышав эту новость, Монтаг чувствует себя еще более больным. Он засыпает, что ночью с его украденной книги скрытой под его подушку.
На следующий день, Монтаг отказывается ходить на работу, утверждая, что он болен. Его босс, капитан Битти, посещает Монтаг, что утром, и, кажется, как-то быть в курсе внутренней борьбы Монтаг страдает до конца, и, что, возможно, обладают Монтаг книги. Битти читает лекции Монтаг о непристойных книг и превосходство их современном обществе, где однородность и структура обязательных для старого общества, где свободное мысль поощряется, и люди были разрешено выражать различные мнения. Во время визита Битти, Милли нервно организует спальня и пытается вытащить подушку Монтаг прочь. Когда он не позволит ей, она кладет руку под нее и находит скрытую книгу. Милли удивлен, и, хотя она непосредственно не сдаваться мужа, она просит Битти, что было бы, если пожарный принес домой книгу. Битти говорит пожарные разрешили принести книгу домой, но должен записать его в течение 24 часов.
Когда Битти отходит, Монтаг получает около 20 книг, которые он украл из аварийных протяжении многих лет, и начинает читать. Не уверены относительно того, что делать дальше, Монтаг вспоминает встречи отставной профессор, Фабер, годом ранее и обсуждения со стариком значение идей. Он решает посетить Фабер, который сначала боялся говорить с ним, опасаясь, что он будет следующей жертвой пожарного. Однако, как двое мужчин растут доверять друг другу, Фабер становится наставником Монтаг, разделяя понимание с пожарным и в сговоре с ним, чтобы иметь копии своих книг, сделанных. Фабер дает Монтаг небольшой двустороннюю радиосвязь собственного изобретения, чтобы вставить в ухо так, что двое мужчин всегда будет на связи.
В доме, Монтаг становится противно с женой и ее друзей, как они сидеть сложа руки, смотреть телевизор и заниматься сплетнями, который показывает свой эгоизм и отсутствие осведомленности или озабоченности предстоящей атомной войны. На возражения Фабера потокового через секретный радио эхом в его ухо, Монтэг занимается женщин в дискуссии о семье и политике. Далее, он читает им из книги поэзии. Друзья Милдред реагировать эмоционально на чтение Montag, в плач и не понимая, источник их слез. Когда два потрясли друзей Милдред отойти, она уходит к себе в комнату, чтобы принять снотворное и Монтаг скрывает свои книги на заднем дворе, прежде чем отправиться на работу, где Битти занимается более анти-книги, анти-интеллектуальной риторики. Пожарные призваны тревоги, и Монтаг встревожен, чтобы обнаружить, что это его собственный дом, который будут сожжены. Его жена Милли сообщил ему.
После сжигания его дом и имущество от себя, комнату за комнатой, а по заказу капитана Битти, Монтаг будет упрекнул его босс, и двое мужчин участвовать в драке, в ходе которой радио Фабера выбил из уха Montag в. Когда Битти отмечает, что оба Монтаг и его "друг" (Фабер) будет строго пресекаться, Монтаг угрожает ему с огнеметом. Когда Битти продолжает оскорблять его, Монтаг переворачивает переключатель и убивает начальника. Сразу, Механическая Собака, компьютеризированная собака атаки, которые могут отследить любое человеческое существо по запаху, преследует его. Собака наносит удар ему в ногу с прокаин иглы, но Монтаг способен уничтожить его с огнеметом, прежде чем он может сделать больше урона. Монтаг получает свои оставшиеся книги из двора перед запуском в Фабера. По пути, он делает паузу, чтобы посадить книги в доме пожарного черный, кратко собирает себя на бензоколонке, где он слышит отчеты, война была объявлена, и при пересечении дороги почти сбила лихача.
Фабер дает убежище для Монтаг, который горячо проводимой второй механический Собака и власти. Фабер дает Монтаг с некоторыми старыми одежды (маскирующих его запах и, таким образом, препятствующих Механический Hound), и говорит ему идти к реке и плавать вниз по течению железнодорожных путей, где он будет, мы надеемся, найти бродяга лагерь интеллектуальных преступников, которые могут помочь ему , В свою очередь, стимулирует Монтаг Фабер, чтобы включить все его разбрызгивателей, чтобы бросить Hound его ароматом. Монтаг отходит, Фабер прислушивается его совету, а затем отправляется в Сент-Луис в эксплуатацию бывший принтер он знает печатать несколько книг. Монтаг плавает вниз по реке, успешно избегая Hound, и приходит на группу бывших писателей, священнослужителей и ученых на берегу реки. Лидер группы, автор назвал Грейнджер, приветствует Монтаг и предлагает ему варево, чтобы изменить его рН так, чтобы пес не может обнаружить его присутствие. Затем мужчины использовать портативный телевизор смотреть полиции погони побег Монтаг вызвало. Монтаг потрясен, чтобы увидеть Механическая Собака убить другого человека, как диктор объявляет, "Монтаг мертв!" Полиция, не желая терять доверие общественности, установите Собака после невинного человека, когда он потерял аромат Монтаг в.
Грейнджер говорит Монтаг, как люди в его лагере каждый запомнил литературные произведения, так что когда-нибудь, когда это можно сделать безопасным образом, они могут снова печатать книги, воссоздавая их из памяти. Когда атомные бомбы уничтожить город, люди изложены просеять через щебень и начать заново. Они планируют развивать общество, в котором книги и свободной мысли могут процветать.
Fahrenheit 451 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."