Fahrenheit 451 Theme Essay

445 Words2 Pages
Ever wonder what life would be like without knowledge? Without knowledge life would be similar to the society in Fahrenheit 451. Knowledge and books allow us to make connections with others; throughout "Fahrenheit 451," it is clear how the community is hindered by the lack of knowledge, which is shown through several quotes; books share knowledge from different experts and can give people dangerous ideas which make them think and ask questions, and as with Montag, books help spread intellectualism and Montag illustrates this. Books show us all parts of society, past present and future. The power of books shows that knowledge enriches or changes lives. “Books stitched the patches of the universe together into one garment for us” (Bradbury, 83). Ray Bradbury is making a metaphor, describing how books are patches of fabric that when sewn together makes a garment, or a whole picture of the world. That garment represents the vast knowledge of humanity. Bradbury shows knowledge to be representative of truth.“So now do you see why books are hated and feared? They show the pores in the face of life. The comfortable people want only wax moon faces, poreless, hairless, expressionless” (Bradbury, 83). This quote is saying that books are feared because people might learn truth. They might discover that the world is not perfect. Books lead to understanding of life, and their society does not want them to know those truths. Montag illustrates his desire for intellectual companionship: "Nobody listens anymore. I can't talk to the walls because they're yelling at me. I can't talk to my wife; she listens to the walls. I just want someone to hear what I have to say. And maybe if I talk long enough, it'll make sense. And I want you to teach me to understand what I read" (Bradbury,125). Montag is basically saying that he just wants to understand books and wants to be able to talk
Open Document