Fahrenheit 451 | Discussion Questions 41 - 50

In Part 3 of Fahrenheit 451 what is the effect of Bradbury's detailed description of Montag's memory of a night in the barn?

When Montag remembers sleeping in hay in a barn loft, all five senses are in play in Bradbury's imagery. Montag smells the hay; he sees a woman, a version of Clarisse, braiding her hair at a window (touch), hears an "ancient windmill" and "distant animals, insects, and trees," and finds a "glass of milk, an apple, and a pear" waiting for him the next morning." This sensuous daydream makes Montag feel safe and happy and as if "the immense world would accept him." Montag's society floods the ears and eyes of its citizens with blaring advertisements, massive wall screens, and Seashell Radios, disconnecting them from sensory experiences. The countryside, in contrast, offers genuine sensory input and offers a way back to safety and happiness.

In Fahrenheit 451 why does Bradbury include the story of Granger's grandfather watching a film of a V-2 rocket?

In Part 3 Granger tells a story about his beloved grandfather showing the film of a V-2 rocket and the mushroom cloud from an atomic bomb rising into the air. Unlike the broadcasts that Mildred watches obsessively, this is a record of a real event. His grandfather shows it to him repeatedly, Granger says, "a dozen times" to demonstrate the impact of the atomic bomb. His grandfather hopes that cities will "open more" and people will learn to value life instead of the destruction that atomic weapons represent. Granger's grandfather's point of view has particular resonance given the nuclear blast that is about to level the city from which Montag has fled.

In Fahrenheit 451 what are some of the associations suggested by the title of Part 3, "Burning Bright"?

The title of Part 3 is metaphorical. The phrase "burning bright" comes from William Blake's poem "The Tyger." The poem refers to a fierce animal, its fiery eyes burning in "the forests of the night," and asks, "What immortal hand or eye/Dare frame thy fearful symmetry?" The tiger represents the power of creation. In the novel "Burning Bright" refers to the power of fire, which burns brightly whether it creates or destroys. In Part 3 fire does both. When Montag burns his house, his books, and then his boss he feels as if he has cauterized his ties to the past. He rids himself of a house that symbolizes his former life. By destroying Beatty, Montag destroys his connection to his life as a fireman and to a government that champions conformity and censorship. Burning these symbols of his past allows Montag to begin again. "Burning bright" also suggests a flame offering warmth and illumination. The warmth of human connection and the illumination, or knowledge, that books offer have changed Montag's life, putting him in touch with his true self. Through the power of books, Montag is drawn to the forest campfire of the people who memorize books. His future lies with them.

Why do the government officials in Montag's society fake his death in Fahrenheit 451?

Montag's society maintains its power by crushing individuality and promoting conformity. In such a society, control is everything. Montag is a criminal who has stolen books and murdered his boss. He has already gone outside the social order. If he escapes, the government will have lost control of him, suggesting an opportunity to others to defy authority. The government can't tolerate contradictions, disturbances, or loose ends, so it stages a fake chase that ends with the apparent death of Montag's double. The state's claim that "a crime against society has been avenged" provides a fake sense of closure for viewers and a false sense that justice has been done. The widespread broadcast also uses this false narrative about Montag as a warning to others so the government can continue to control and manipulate its citizens.

How does Mildred's real death as imagined by Montag compare and contrast with her earlier desired death by suicide in Fahrenheit 451?

At first Montag pictures Mildred alone in a hotel, dying among her beloved wall screens. She is surrounded by "great shimmering walls of color and motion" and leaning into one of the walls "to drown in its bright happiness." This imagery suggests the kind of symbolic death, or escape from self via pills and television, that Mildred has embraced throughout the novel. Then Montag transforms Mildred's death into a situation in which she is forced to face herself. Montag imagines the wall screens going dark and Mildred being forced to see nothing but "her own face reflected there in a mirror." Mildred's face is "wildly empty" and "all by itself in the room." At the moment she recognizes her face "as her own," the hotel crushes her. Mildred dies alone, a situation she has spent her life trying to avoid through false means.

In Part 3 of Fahrenheit 451 what is the significance of Montag's entering a river as he's on the run from the Mechanical Hound?

Montag enters the river to escape from the Mechanical Hound. Once Montag is in the river, he strips down, splashes himself with liquor, and dresses again in Faber's clothes to break the scent trail. Montag is symbolically giving himself a new identity, blending his identity with Faber's. The scene also has religious symbolism. Entering a body of water is like a baptism, through which one is reborn. What Montag's new life will be isn't clear as the river sweeps Montag away into the darkness. However, it will clearly be a marked contrast to his old one as he is now engulfed by water, which quenches fire.

What is the importance of the railroad tracks as an image in Fahrenheit 451?

The railroad tracks are an important image in the novel for several reasons. The tracks are rusted, an outdated form of transportation technology. As such, they are a reminder of history that the current society, with its love of airborne technology and speed, would prefer to forget. Railroad tracks also connected people and places by moving them through real time and space in contrast to the disconnection of the prevailing society. Finally Montag follows the railroad tracks to reach the book lovers, "hobos" who live beyond the fringes of society. Like the railroad tracks, the book lovers provide connection. They memorize books so that people can reconnect with knowledge and rebuild the world.

In Fahrenheit 451 why does Granger say, "Welcome back from the dead" to Montag?

In Part 3 Granger says this to Montag after Montag has witnessed his fake death in the form of what appears to be a real murder being broadcast by the state. Montag has been with "the dead" in other ways, however. The society he leaves behind is focused on flattening its citizens' individuality, rendering them a nation of the living dead. The culture also flirts with death, teetering constantly on the verge of war and placing citizens in harm's way by forcing them to drive at high speeds. Granger may also be referring to Montag's rebirth as he joins the book lovers. Montag's old life is dead, but his new one has begun.

What does Bradbury's use of the motif of touching as seen in the meeting between Montag and Granger contribute to the themes of Fahrenheit 451 in Part 3?

As Granger welcomes Montag to meet the other book lovers, he touches his arm, a sign of acceptance. Touch is also an important component of Granger's story about his beloved grandfather. Granger's grandfather was a sculptor, an artist who expressed himself by making things with his hands. As Granger says, "He shaped the world. He did things to the world." He believed that creating things by hand is a crucial human activity and that touch is a way to leave a permanent mark on the world. This contrasts with the society Granger has left behind, where creativity is not valued, human contact is discouraged, and nobody can be touched by the ideas and emotions found in books. Granger says that his grandfather has made such an impression on him that it is as if he left a thumbprint on Granger's brain.

In Fahrenheit 451 how does the massive hunt for Montag affect him?

The search and its broadcast have several effects on Montag. He recognizes the role these broadcasts play in maintaining government control; the manhunt is a "circus" to distract people from the war. Montag is also watching a fictionalized version of himself, a double. Throughout the novel Montag often feels separated from himself, split into an old Montag and a new one as he immerses himself in the world of books and changes his life. Now that he has embraced his authentic self, it is revealing for him to see this fake version of "Montag" created by and for the state. When he was living in the city, he was never really living as himself. The search recreates his former life.