Fahrenheit 451: Techniques

Symbolism and suspense were used in Fahrenheit 451 to engage the audience.  Some of the symbolisms used include:  the number 451, the salamander, the phoenix, and the chapters The Hearth and the Salamander and The Sieve and the Sand.  By using symbolism, Bradbury was able to connect ideas in a way that reflects the story.

            The first real use of suspense in the book occurs when Clarisse McClellan is nowhere to be found.  It is implied that she got hit by an automobile, but there is still room for doubt.  Could the government or the people have killed her for being too radical or did she run away?  I did not want Clarisse to die, so in my mind there was always the possibility and hope that she would return.  Another suspenseful scene is when an old woman dies after refusing to leave her books.  This made me wonder as to whether this event would affect Montag and how.  Montag had not been described as cruel, which a person would have to be if he or she was unaffected by what had happened.  The next occasion when this occurs is when Captain Beatty arrives at Montag’s house the day after he had taken one of the books from the old woman’s house and had chosen not to go to work that day.  Beatty’s appearance gave strong hints that he knew Montag was hiding books.  He said that all firemen come to a point where they become interested in learning what is in a book but it is a waste of time.  Beatty also said that any fireman who might have had possession of a book should burn it within twenty-four hours or the other firemen will have to come and burn it for him (Bradbury 29).  Captain Beatty finally sends one last warning to Montag to straighten-up by sending the Mechanical Hound to his house (Bradbury 52).  Knowing that Captain Beatty was aware of what Montag was doing was suspenseful because the reader didn’t know when Montag would get caught.  It is also suspenseful when Montag goes with the other firefighters to burn a house with books and Montag realizes that it is his house; he is told that he is to be arrested.  This is the major turning point of the book where he kills Beatty, who was once his friend, and runs away with the authorities and mechanical hounds following him.  The entire time that he is running away is full of suspense because if he is to be captured then he would be killed.  By watching where the manhunt is going on Faber’s television, the reader could become anxious because Montag is simply watching the trail as if it was someone else when he should be running for his life. 

Bradbury, Ray. Fahrenheit 451. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1967. Print.