Throughout my
own literary experiences I have gained a great deal of knowledge on the
connection between a writer and his/her book. Because I read a lot, I’ve really
been able to catch things and have developed the theory that all writers,
intentional or not, reveal and leave a little bit of themselves in their
literary works. When writing, they also seem to leave behind their own morals and values and
even sometimes their deepest thoughts. I believe this is true for Ray Bradbury,
the author of Fahrenheit 451.
This story is written in third person, which I really like because it gives the books a sense of closeness and mystery at the same time. IN the book, you don’t always know what is inside Guy Montag’s head, so it keeps his mind mysterious, but it gives you a sense of closeness because Montag speaks what he is thinking most times and third person point of view allows the author to describe Montag better and give the reader a better sense of his character. The very beginning, for example, is one way Bradbury uses third person point of view to his advantage. “The blood pounded in his head” (Bradbury pg. 1), “his eyes all orange flame” (Bradbury pg 1) , “Montag grinned the fierce grin of all men singed and driven back by flame” (Bradbury pg 2): all three of these lines describe Montag in a way Montag wouldn’t describe himself. It allows the author to give more detail on the character outside the character’s own thoughts
I believe that Bradbury’s two characters, Montag and Clarisse, reveal the most about his values and attitudes. Some of the things Clarisse says are especially important, I believe, to Bradbury himself. Clarisse spends a lot of time talking, but I think the main thing she gets out is the appreciation of things, which I believe is something Bradbury himself believes in. She talks about going on a car ride with her uncle and actually stopping and taking time to appreciate everything because so many people in her “world” go too fast to even look (Bradbury pg 6). This message can be taken by the readers as a heading to do the same, and take time to appreciate things. He also uses Montag to reveal his values and attitudes. Montag says, “We need not to be let alone. WE need to be really bothered once in a while. How long is it since you were really bothered? About something important, something real?” (Bradbury pg 49). This line that Montag says reveals Bradbury’s own thoughts about how we as people should open our minds and be bothered by things so that we can find the courage to do something about it. In fact, this is a theme in the book. Bradbury also uses Montag again to represent our human nature to want to find out the truth of things and to be free of lies.
This story is written in third person, which I really like because it gives the books a sense of closeness and mystery at the same time. IN the book, you don’t always know what is inside Guy Montag’s head, so it keeps his mind mysterious, but it gives you a sense of closeness because Montag speaks what he is thinking most times and third person point of view allows the author to describe Montag better and give the reader a better sense of his character. The very beginning, for example, is one way Bradbury uses third person point of view to his advantage. “The blood pounded in his head” (Bradbury pg. 1), “his eyes all orange flame” (Bradbury pg 1) , “Montag grinned the fierce grin of all men singed and driven back by flame” (Bradbury pg 2): all three of these lines describe Montag in a way Montag wouldn’t describe himself. It allows the author to give more detail on the character outside the character’s own thoughts
I believe that Bradbury’s two characters, Montag and Clarisse, reveal the most about his values and attitudes. Some of the things Clarisse says are especially important, I believe, to Bradbury himself. Clarisse spends a lot of time talking, but I think the main thing she gets out is the appreciation of things, which I believe is something Bradbury himself believes in. She talks about going on a car ride with her uncle and actually stopping and taking time to appreciate everything because so many people in her “world” go too fast to even look (Bradbury pg 6). This message can be taken by the readers as a heading to do the same, and take time to appreciate things. He also uses Montag to reveal his values and attitudes. Montag says, “We need not to be let alone. WE need to be really bothered once in a while. How long is it since you were really bothered? About something important, something real?” (Bradbury pg 49). This line that Montag says reveals Bradbury’s own thoughts about how we as people should open our minds and be bothered by things so that we can find the courage to do something about it. In fact, this is a theme in the book. Bradbury also uses Montag again to represent our human nature to want to find out the truth of things and to be free of lies.
Bradbury, Ray. Fahrenheit 451. New York: Simon and
Schuster, 1967. Print.
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