Fahrenheit 451, written by Ray Bradbury, depicts a part of Guy Montag’s (the main character) life. In the novel the use and significance of fire is very much reinforced. For example; Guy’s job as a fireman requires him to set fire and burn books as a result of the laws against books in their society. However, the representation of fire is changed as the story evolves; for instance at the beginning of the novel fire represents power and pride, whereas towards the middle fire is presented as destruction and violence and as the book concludes fire is a symbol of hope.
Looking back to the beginning of Bradbury’s novel fire presented as a good thing because it rids the society of “hurtful” books. Being a fireman is considered a position of pride and power. They were filled with pride and honor for protecting their society. “It was a special pleasure to see things eaten, to see things blackened and changed…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.” (Bradbury, pg.1). This quote said by taken from the first few pages presents that the men find pleasure in the burning; in addition, they feel a rush of adrenaline and satisfaction. They feel a strong gust of strength and pride as a result of “protecting” their culture and destroying history. Their culture praises firemen for their destructive and prideful burning. The firemen hold a lack of knowledge for what is actually being burned. As the story evolves, fire is presented with destruction and violence. Today, in modern times, fire is often referenced or co-in sided with the sun. Sun is so hot it burns everything, as does fire. This quote from page 134 describes the sun and its destructive way; “The sun burned every day. It burned Time. The world rushed in a circle and turned on its axis and time was busy burning the years and the people anyway, without any help from him. So if he burnt things with the