Fahrenheit 451 Theme Project

Theme 5: People should take action rather than watch society falter and crumble

This theme is important to the understanding of the story because the book goes through Montag’s thought process of realizing how messed up his society really was; and when he does take action the reader can understand why. It is important for us to be aware of the theme because everyday we all see things that we know aren’t right, but most people aren’t able to take action towards it, so by studying this theme we learn that taking action does have a big impact.

In the beginning of the book, Montag is set to go burn down another house, but it turned out to be much different than the regular house burning.The  woman was standing in her home, surrounded by her books, and refused to move for them to burn the house. Montag watched as the woman was burned alive with her books, which first inspired his thoughts of rebellion and began to inspire him to take action. The following quote shows when Montag first started think in a different mindset; “Didn’t firemen prevent fires rather than stoke them up and get them going?” (Bradbury 31)

At the end of part one, Montag admits to Millie that he has books. This was a big step for him considering that he is a fireman and should be burning books, not secretly keeping them. By showing the books to Millie it shows that Montag was ready to start making changing and to not keep books a secret.

During part two, Montag becomes friends with a man that really helps him get to know and understand books better. They help each other in the way that they both have a love for books, so they can relate in a new way. Faber really helped Montag through his whole process. Montag said the following quote to Faber when he really wanted to get a plan into action with books, “That’s the good part of dying;when you’ve nothing to lose, you run any risk you want” (Bradbury 81). This gives a really good perspective of Montag’s new mindset.

In part two, Mildred has over two of her friends to watch their favorite program, when Montag decides to shut off the parlor walls due to his frustration and bring out one of his books. He then reads the poem, Dover Beach, to them, which causes the friends to become upset with Montag and Mildred. Although this action was not intelligently planned out, this was still an example of Montag taking action to help save a society he perceives as crumbling by reading to them.

In the beginning of part 3, most everything Montag ever knew was gone; his house, his wife, his books. Beatty was to blame for it, so when thinking he was saving his own, and Farber’s life, he burns Beatty.

The book ends with Montag running away and meeting a group known as “The book people.” They take Montag in with open arms. They give Montag a taste of what will basically be the rest of his life because he was caught breaking the law. When everything sinks in for Montag, he does a lot more thinking; mostly into his book which is Ecclesiastes in the Bible, “To everything there is a season… A time to break down, and a time to build up… A time to keep silent and a time to speak” (Bradbury 158).