Wow, I’ve been reading this book, Fahrenheit
451.
It’s pretty cool.
Yeah, what an experience!
There’s a lot of deep meaning in here.
Animals especially.
I think that’s something real interesting
to talk about.
Well you know what that means!
Hello everyone!
Welcome to Smash Class with Emily and Gargi!
We are here to talk about animals in Fahrenheit
451 by Ray Bradbury.
Animals are important symbols in the book.
One of the first ones we encounter is the
Salamander.
The salamander is on the firemen’s hats,
and the firemen call the fire trucks salamanders.
The salamander has come to represent firemen
themselves.
Ancient people believed that salamanders can
live in fire unaffected.
But this use is ironic, as Montag is strongly
affected by fire.
By the end of the book, he sees fire as destructive
and does not want to burn books.
Beatty, the captain of the firemen, is burned
alive as well.
The firemen are clearly not as fireproof as
myths would suggest.
Hey Gargi, did you hear about the fire at
the circus?
It was in-TENTS!
Hahaha!
Another prominent instance of animal symbolism
in this book
is the snake-eyed machine that is used to
revive Mildred after she overdoses on sleeping pills
The machine is compared to a “black cobra”,
which is generally seen as a scary and dangerous
animal.
It is ironic that the machine that restores
life is compared to a deadly cobra.
Bradbury uses this comparison to symbolize
the depersonalization of the society.
Even medical treatment has been automated.
One of the most well-known symbols in Fahrenheit
451 is the Mechanical Hound.
It is first introduced to the reader when
Montag goes to the firehouse.
Montag tries to pet the Hound, but it growls
at him.
Eventually, the Hound is unleashed to hunt
down Montag himself.
The hound represents how nature is twisted
and how society uses technology to penalize
people who do not follow the rules.
It is also ironic how dogs are supposed to
be “a man’s best friend”
but in this book, the Hound is killing humans
rather than protecting them.
In our own society, dogs are cute and friendly,
but the Mechanical Hound is anything but that.
It is something out of a nightmare, with a
metal body, eight spidery legs, glowing eye bulbs,
and needles that inject lethal amounts of
chemicals.
Nature has been corrupted into a disturbing
perversion of a dog.
Speaking of dogs, why did the snowman call
his dog Frost?
Why?
Because frost bites!
Hahaha!
Anyways, in the final pages of Fahrenheit
451,
Granger talks about the phoenix to Montag.
The phoenix is a mythical creature that every
once in awhile burns up and rises from the ashes
The phoenix symbolizes rebirth, and in this
book specifically, the rebirth of humankind
After the city is bombed and destroyed,
Montag and his book buddies can work to renew
society.
However, unlike the phoenix, mankind does
not lose knowledge from past experiences when
it starts again.
Granger’s speech about the phoenix emphasizes
the importance that people
must remember past mistakes in order to avoid grand catastrophes like the society in this book.
The portrayal of animals throughout this book
lead us to believe that this society
is mostly technological and mechanical, with
no nature.
Furthermore, animals are shown to be evil, representing death and destruction through machines
and are primarily seen as a negative symbol.
However, towards the end, Montag sees a nice deer
which is the only instance that animals are
portrayed positively.
This occurs once Montag leaves the bad society.
Once Montag has escaped from the technologically
corrupted city and reentered nature,
animals are no longer evil bringers of death and destruction.
In contrast to the creepy auras of the salamander, the snake-like machine, and the mechanical hound,
the phoenix represents civilization’s ability
to restart and rebuild.
Animal imagery and symbolism is used constantly throughout Fahrenheit 451,
and they help the reader fully understand
the perversion of the book’s society.
The mechanization of nature has removed the personal and happy feelings we associate with animals.
Well, thanks for tuning in to this episode
of Smash Class!
We had an enlightening discussion about animals
in Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury.
We hope that this helped you better understand
animal symbolism in this book
and their meaning and significance.
The next episode will be never!
Adios!
