Fahrenheit is the perfect example of Bradbury’s storytelling. The story is set within a timeless world of ambiguity and futurism, with nightmarish elements that are exaggerated versions of America’s own horrors. The details in his world are rich and complex. Second, Bradbury’s story has a very intangible ending that’s as confusing and unreliable as Bradbury can make it. Thirdly and in relation to the character and perspective development, you can even draw comparisons between Fahrenheit’s narration and Joseph Campbell’s A Hero’s Journey. A Hero’s Journey provides a deep analysis of mythology, literature, and other aspects. Fahrenheit’s 3 chapters are coincidentally correlated with Campbell’s 3 key phases. They are: (1) departure or The Sieve & The Sand with Guy’s encounters & trials, (2) return with the protagonist’s fight to transform his world, in Chapter Three Burning Lights. Bradbury mastered the art of incorporating mythological, historical, and classic epic techniques in his masterpiece. Ray’s novelist skills are also further consolidated by his explorations on Guy’s external and internal relationships, interactions and monologues. The novel’s inversion of characters is a distinctive feature. This is especially true between Beaty and Montag, the protagonist, who shares many qualities with Beaty but whose choices are polarizing.
The musical dynamic of Fahrenheit 441, with its poetic, lyrical legatos and dark, haunting angsty staccatos, is striking. The contrast of “Did this drink of darkness?” […] How did the eye see? Uh!”. The use of onomatopoeia, synesthesia, metaphors, similes and personifications to evoke the senses and create a three-dimensional picture is always a delight. The line “mildly and leisurely” is a good example of how Bradbury uses images, sounds and smells in his writing to convey the malnutrition and grime that the characters are suffering from. Bradbury also created musicality, poetic rhythms and vocal dynamics with his combination of Hemingway’s minimalist prose and Proust’s elongated aestheticist prose. Ray Bradbury’s last literary device is the allusion, which he used to bring history and world literature into Fahrenheit through “I Am Plato’s Republic”. Marcus Aurelius is a great read. Mr. Simmons, Marcus. . “Sweet foods of sweetly expressed knowledge” is from Sidney’s The Defense of Poetry.
Ray Bradbury created a series of allegories and motifs about biblical paradoxes and nature that run throughout the entire book. The masterpiece also contains symbolisms such as blood, sand and sand sieves, hearths, salamanders, and reflections.
“With the brass nozzle in his fists, with this great python spitting its venomous kerosene upon the world, the blood pounded in his head, and his hands were the hands of some amazing conductor playing all the symphonies of blazing and burning to bring down the tatters and charcoal ruins of history.” The nature of fire changes throughout Fahrenheit 451. Montag’s description of it describes both its destructive power and artistic expression. The fire, when examined closely, changes from a destructive force to one that is liberating. Bradbury ironically placed the most religiously associated token of humanity in a dying and self-rejecting world, making it a curse and a savior. Fahrenheit also shows the evolution of books from an abomination that is feared to one that is a curiosity and adventure. Finally, they become an essential part of our minds, which cannot be cut off but must be respected. The books symbolize our collective will and liberties as well as our curiosity. They also immortalize these qualities, reminding the reader that they are fragile, just like paper.
Each symbolism or allegory is used to serve a particular purpose. These are exemplified by the books and fires. Together, they weave a magic silk thread which connects the outer (the ornamental words and constructs, for example) to the innermost values found in Fahrenheit 441. These include the true meaning of the book, its content, its themes, and its philosophical underpinnings.
All these literary elements and narratives are what make up the three dominant themes of Fahrenheit. They are censorship, complicity complacency, dominance of technology. These themes have a realist quality, reflecting the times they were written in and telling their own context, historical inspirations. The post-war terrors and rise of technology are just a few examples. The parable, however, is incredibly prescient as the arguments it makes against totalitarianism and media dependence, along with its criticisms of obstructing individuality and preventing people from being themselves, are only becoming more relevant.
