Destructive and Constructive in Fahrenheit 451 Essay Example

Do we have to be destructive in order to become constructive? In the novel  Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury presents a dystopian society set in the future, where books are burned, and nobody does any thinking. The main character, Guy Montag, is a fireman who starts like everyone else. However, as the plot progresses, he goes from a destructive fireman, to a constructive individual. He has three mentors, Clarisse, who is the catalyst for his change. Faber, a man who teaches him that books aren’t what’s missing, but the quality of information, and time to digest information. Granger, who lets Montag lead. Captain Beatty is the authority figure, who reads books and is the worst kind of conformist. Fahrenheit 451 uses symbols to express the characters and theme. Three symbols used by Bradbury to enhance the character and theme are water, mirrors, and fire.

One symbol used by Bradbury to enhance the character and theme is water, an escape from destruction. In this scene, Montag meets Clarisse for the second time. The first time, Clarisse asks Montag if he is happy, and it leads to Montag realizing that he is not happy. The second time, it is raining and Montag meets Clarisse. Clarisse tells him that she loves to taste the rain, and she tells Montag to try it. Montag shrugs the idea, and tells Clarisse she has to get going for her appointment. Once Clarisse leaves, Montag “...very slowly…tilted his head back in the rain…for just a few moments, and opened his mouth”(24).  Water is an escape from destruction, and Montag lets the water flow into his body. He lets the rain wash away his destructive side, so that he may become constructive. Later, after Montag kills Beatty with a flamethrower, he is on the run. He has to run away because it is big news that a fireman committed such an offense. On his way out of the city, he stops at Faber’s house. They watch the news, and they have a drink, before Montag has to leave. He is trying to escape the city, because the government doesn’t care about people that are outside of the city. As the chase approaches, Montag has to leave Faber’s house and get out of the city. He ran very fast towards the river, and then “...holding the suitcase, he walked out in the river until there was no bottom, and he was swept away…” (139).  Montag walks into the river and gets swept away from the destructive society. He has no escape except for actually escaping. His destructive nature is completely put out by the water in the river, as water quenches fire. If one side of fire is destructive, water puts out fire, essentially putting out the destruction. This is the only thing that leads Montag to fully escaping the society,  turning him into a constructive individual. 

Bradbury also uses the symbol of mirrors to enhance the character and theme. In this part, Montag finishes his job of burning books.  He walks home, and on the way, he meets Clarisse. Clarisse asks him many questions that make Montag think about his surroundings. He looks at Clarisse, and he “...saw himself in her eyes, suspended in two shining drops of bright water, himself dark and tiny”(7). Montag reflects on himself in Clarisse’s eyes. He realizes that he is not as important as he thinks he is. He goes from a big, pompous fireman, to dark and tiny in just a few seconds. Later, after Montag escapes the city, he meets a man named Granger. Granger teaches Montag about his philosophy of life, and tells Montag that people only mean something to us when they actually do something meaningful. After the war took place, Granger says “Come on now, we’re going to build a mirror factory…”(164). Granger and Montag want people reflecting on themselves. They want people to remember how they used to be, and they want them to think about themselves. If people can reflect and remember who they are, it allows people to change, essentially rebuilding their society. The option for people to reflect on themselves should be made, but not forced upon anyone. 

Most importantly, fire is used by Bradbury to enhance the character and theme. In this scene, Montag is talking to Faber in his house. Montag comes up with a plan to plant books in firemen’s houses, and then set off the alarm. Montag tells Faber that Captain Beatty is trying to get him to return to being a fireman. Montag also explains to Faber that Beatty is well read but he uses his knowledge to be a conformist. Montag is afraid that Beatty will talk Montag back to the way he was, pumping a kerosene hose. After Montag says this, Faber says that “Those who don’t build must burn”(89). Fire has two sides to it, destructive and constructive. This represents humans. We can either be constructive or destructive. There is no in between. Faber says that if we can’t be constructive, then we have to be destructive. Later, Montag is with Granger after the war. Right after the worst thing humans can do, Granger makes bacon. Montag sees that the bacon is being cooked by a fire. When he sees this, he realizes the fire “...was not burning. It was warming”(145). Montag “...had never thought in his life that it could give as well as take”(146). Montag finally sees the other side of fire. He sees the warm, constructive side of it. In his life, he only used fire to burn books, and destroy houses. After he sees Granger use the fire for something good, he knows it can be useful as well as destructive. He also realizes that humans don’t have to be destructive, just like the fire. If the fire can have a constructive side, then so can we. 

Water, mirrors, and fire are three symbols used by Bradbury to enhance the character and theme. In  Fahrenheit 451, Bradbury suggests that humans have to be destructive in order to become constructive. This is demonstrated when Montag kills Captain Beatty. If he had never done that, he wouldn’t have escaped the city to lead and be constructive. Bradbury also demonstrates that humans have two sides, like fire.  We can unlock both sides, but to do so, we need the right things. For example, we need quality information, downtime to digest it, and the right to do both of those things. Beatty uses his knowledge to be a conformist and enforce the law. Granger uses his knowledge in a constructive way. Granger is an example of an individual, whereas Beatty is an example of conformity. Montag learns true happiness through his mentors, Clarisse, Faber, and Granger, and learns that technology is not a replacement for happiness.  Without the right tools, we can never learn and change.