Passage 1 – page 113
At this point in the
text, Beatty, Montag, and the others have just answered the alarm to come burn
books that has led them directly to Montag’s house. They are currently standing
outside Montag’s house, and Beatty is about to start admonishing Montag.
I chose this passage
because it talks about how book burning serves as a sort of superficial
entertainment for the people. I hope that really exploring this passage will
help me follow the lead of how book burning is all just an unsubstantial show
and a power play. The firemen don’t want to let the people know that the ideas
in books will exist even after the books have been destroyed.
Passage:
“Lights flickered on[1]
and house doors opened all down the street,[2] to
watch the carnival[3]
set up. Montag and Beatty stared, one[4]
with dry satisfaction, the other with disbelief, at the house before
them,[5] the
main ring[6]
in which torches[7]
would be juggled[8]
and fire eaten[9].”
1:
Word Definition/Wording/Connection: The Oxford English Dictionary defines
“flicker” as “Unsteadfast, wavering.” This is interesting to me because it
implies the lights don’t just turn
on, they flicker on, something that
seems strange considering all the technology. Another OED definition of flicker
is “Of a bird: To flutter, to hover.” There’s something more natural and less
technological about flickering. In fact, there’s a sense of it that’s a bit
like fire. Not fire’s violent, destructive side, but the warm, revealing side
as demonstrated at the beginning in “But the strangely comfortable and rare and
gently flattering light of the candle” (Bradbury 7) or near the end in “Above
the hands, motionless faces that were only moved and tossed and flickered with
firelight” (Bradbury 146). The use of a word that implies beauty before the
murder that Montag is about to commit seems strange, and also odd considering
it’s describing the actions of the technology-obsessed citizens, when it’s
usually used for people in Montag’s life like Clarisse and the Book People.
Maybe this is because the crime Montag is about to commit will ultimately bring
him closer to the Book People, to literature?
2:
Wording/Connection: There’s sort of this mechanical, almost creepily in sync
feeling to “all down the street.” Bradbury could’ve said “the doors opened” and
ended it there. But “all down the street” demonstrates how even though it’s
late at night, even though the people should be sleeping, they all get up and
out to watch the show. This idea of them all do actions at the same time also
occurs earlier on in the book in “People ran out of houses all down the street”
(Bradbury 40) which is what happens when the lady burns her own house down.
Interestingly, both of these in sync, “all down the street” moments revolve
around book burnings.
3:
Word Definition/Figurative Language/Connection: The Oxford English Dictionary
defines “carnival” as both “A fun-fair; circus” and “Any season or course of
feasting, riotous revelry, or indulgence.” Carnival serves as a metaphor here. There
is a fun, entertaining element to book burnings that connects with the entire
entertainment theme in the book, but there’s also this idea of “feasting.” It
connects to the last two words of the passage: “fire eaten.” These people eat fire. Which is interesting, because
the salamander (significance – part of the first section title and one of the
logos of the firemen) is defined by the OED as “A lizard-like animal supposed
to live in, or to be able to endure, fire” but ALSO as “A fire-eating juggler.”
Interesting. And this idea of “eating” what is provided to you, no more, no
less, ties in to “Going away from the people who ate shadows for breakfast and
steam for lunch and vapors for supper” (Bradbury 140).
4:
Wording/Style: We know our subjects in this sentence are Montag and Beatty, but
Bradbury intentionally, I think, says “one” and “the other,” instead of telling
us which is which. We can make a pretty good guess that Beatty is satisfied and
Montag in disbelief. But maybe these don’t only represent Beatty and Montag,
but the two different ways you can view book burnings. This “dry satisfaction”
is something the firemen experience, and something that Montag used to
experience, when they burn books. The disbelief is the audience reaction, when
you are at the carnival, and you can’t figure out how that person is doing that
thing. Disbelief does not require understanding, which is a big part of the
objective of the firemen. Daze the people with something, distract them with
smoke and mirrors, and hide the truth.
5: Syntax/Style/Figurative
Language/Connection: Bradbury uses the comma after “them” to join the literal
meaning to the figurative. Montag’s house is like the main ring in the book,
but Bradbury wants to make sure we get both sides of the metaphor. He also does
this earlier in this passage, with the comma after “all down the street.”
Lights are flickering and doors opening, but a carnival is not really being set
up. It is in the minds of the people, especially in the minds of the firemen.
6:
Figurative Language: Montag’s house is not literally the “main ring” in a
circus, but in a figurative sense it certainly is. He’s the main character, so
his house and his life are the main ring on which we get to speculate. But as a
general rule, the person whose house is about to get burned becomes the main
ring, the center of attention. Burning is an enormous, crowd-pleasing
spectacle.
7:
Word Definition/Figurative Language: This is figurative because the firemen
don’t actually use torches to burn.
It continues with the theme of symbols connected with carnivals. The OED
defines “torch” as “A light to be carried in the hand, consisting of a stick of
resinous wood… or other inflammable substance.” Notice it’s defined as a light, not as a weapon or even a flame.
The thing about torches is they have a handle, so the bearer is able to keep
the fire from harming themselves, and if it is
used as a weapon, to control who it
harms. The torchbearer demonstrates a tremendous amount of power, which means
this could be a symbol for the power the firemen exert over the community.
Another point is that torches can be used both for light and for damage. It
depends on the person using it. All the fire-related tools of the firemen are
undoubtedly violent, like the flamethrowers. Interesting, then, to use the word
“torch” instead of “flamethrower,” implying that you have a choice in how you
use your power.
8:
Word Definition/Figurative Language/Connection: The OED defines “juggle” as “To
amuse or entertain people with jesting, buffoonery, tricks, etc.” This is
definitely figurative language because the firemen don’t in reality “juggle”
fire, and once again develops on the theme of presentation and entertainment.
This idea of “jesting” and “buffoonery” makes me think of Montag’s “He knew that
when he returned to the firehouse, he might wink at himself, a minstrel man”
(Bradbury 4). There’s this idea of acting as a jester and of dumbing down to
entertain. This is something not only Montag but maybe even the other firemen,
at least Beatty, have to do. Everything they do is about pleasing the audience.
Also, the word “tricks” in the OED definition of juggle makes me think of
mischief and of mind games. Which are what the firemen play on the people and
in turn on themselves.
9:
Wording: Fire eaters don’t actually eat fire, they extinguish it with their
breath which all involves precise timing. The audience thinks they’re in
danger, but in reality, if they’re well-trained, they’re not. Just like how the
books aren’t really the “danger” to the stupidity that people are brainwashed
with – the Book People and more importantly the ideas behind literature are the
real danger.
Passage 2 – page 39
At this point in the
text, Montag and the firemen are at the house of the book lady who has just
taken out a match to burn her own house and herself rather than let the firemen
do it. The lady has not burned the house yet, but is about to, and the firemen are
in the process of reacting.
I chose this passage
because in contrast with my previous exploration where the book burning “show”
is being set up and all is well, here something has gone wrong to disrupt the
show. I think examining Beatty’s reaction closely could help to unearth some
more interesting info about the motives and lives of the firemen.
Passage:
“Captain Beatty[1], keeping
his dignity[2],
backed slowly[3]
through the front door, his pink[4]
face burnt and shiny[5]
from a thousand fires[6]
and night excitements[7].”
1:
Syntax: This whole sentence is split up choppily with commas, starting with the
one after Beatty’s name. I think this could perhaps be a way that Bradbury is
expressing the mood – very hesitant, very slow, in contrast to everything else
in the world that moves fast. The commas hold our attention, like Beatty is
trying to.
2:
Word Definition/Wording/Connection: “Dignity” is defined by the OED as “The
quality of being worthy or honorable,” “Persons of high estate or rank,” and
also having “gravity.” These are all really interesting. This idea of being
worthy sort of connects to the idea of performance. Beatty is the main actor, not
this lady. He is worthy of the main
role. He doesn’t want to let her steal his spotlight. Which sort of connects to
his general attitude towards everyone – when he lectures Montag at his house, he
is very uppity and rarely lets him get a word in edgewise. The next definition,
of being of “high rank,” definitely connects to Beatty. He is the fire chief
and holds enormous power. That’s why Bradbury makes sure to refer to him as Captain Beatty at the beginning of this
sentence. The last definition, “having gravity,” is really fascinating. I
interpret this as having presence, maybe even going as far as stage presence. Beatty is a very focused
person, always having his wits about him, and not even letting something like
this make him totally lose his cool. He has a lot of gravity and inertia as
well. He gains attention and will do anything to keep it. These are qualities
that Montag doesn’t have.
3:
Wording: I find it interesting that Beatty’s backs away “slowly.” Considering
this spontaneous power shift, you’d expect him to have a more spontaneous reaction.
But he remains composed, or at least seems to. (It’s possible he’s just
behaving like a “minstrel man.”) It seems like a reaction in a movie or a play,
not a reaction you’d have in real life.
4:
Word Definition/Connection: The OED defines “pink” of course as a color, but
there are two additional definitions that I found interesting: “Of an eye: small, winking, or half-shut” and “A very small
person or creature; a brat; an elf.” This is definitely over analyzing, but the
idea of Beatty’s face being a winking face is too good to pass up. He’s winking
at the audience as if to say, “this is just an act, folks!” Reminds me again of
Montag’s “He knew that when he returned to the firehouse, he might wink at himself,
a minstrel man, burnt-corked, in the mirror” (Bradbury 4). The difference is
that it takes a mirror for Montag to wink at himself whereas Beatty does it
constantly – he is continually described as “pink.” The “small brat” definition
is kind of funny, which could be the point. Beatty is supposed to be tough, yet
is described as pink, a word we associate more with silliness and girlishness.
Interesting.
5:
Word Definition: “Shiny” is defined by the OED as “Having a bright or
glistening surface” and “Beaming, radiant. Also, apparently excellent.” These
are interesting because having a “bright or glistening surface” doesn’t mean
that what’s under the surface is bright and glistening. The word “shiny” in
general has a superficial feel. This idea of “beaming” is something I associate
largely with pride. Is Beatty proud of the woman in some way? Or proud of
himself? Next, being “apparently excellent”
doesn’t mean you actually are excellent. Shiny overall has the smoke and mirrors
vibe that most everything Beatty does has. Beatty is in fact scared by this woman’s actions, but pretends not to be
because “the show must go on.”
6: Wording/Connection: Beatty’s face is
shiny at least partially from these “thousand fires.” It’s not just the
prospect of this fire that is showing in his face. It’s all of them. He generalizes, packaging all of these fires which had
unique books and unique people involved into one big thing. It makes them,
individually seem significant, like how, when Beatty is lecturing Montag, he
says “Every fireman, sooner or later, hits this” (Bradbury 53). It belittles
individual events or individual people. It’s a form of desensitization and is
one of Beatty’s very effective tools of power play. And there’s a bragging
quality to it to. He’s caused a thousand fires! His shiny, burnt face is his
battle scar, like how a musician gets calluses on their fingers from playing
frequently. He wears his like a trophy.
7: Wording: These fires for Beatty are “night
excitements.” They’re fun! They’re exciting! Just like how Montag used to enjoy
it, there’s something about putting on this show for people that Beatty really
gets off on. There’s a show every night, and it’s live theatre, so for the
firemen disruptions like this woman have they’re exciting side too. He can add
her to his list of “close calls.”
Passage 3 – page 82
At this point in the
text, Montag has come to Faber’s house for the first time, hoping that he can
give him some answers. Faber is beginning to explain to Montag the true nature
of books, and what is missing from them that is affecting them at the present
time.
I chose this passage
because I hope to find more information in it about how there is an element in
books that cannot be destroyed, even though the firemen put so much emphasis on
book destruction.
Passage:
“No, no[1],
it’s not books at all[2]
you’re looking for! Take it where you can find it[3],
in old[4]
phonograph records, old motion pictures, and in old friends[5];
look[6]
for it in nature[7]
and look for it in yourself[8].”
1:
Syntax/Wording: There’s this carefully arranged repetition with commas of “No,
no,” that I think is worth looking at. Faber repeats this, maybe to a certain
degree for emphasis. It also has a very dismissive attitude for the beginning
of the sentence. He’s pretty much saying to Montag “you’ve been looking in all
the wrong places.” Interesting that he’s so dismissive.
2:
Wording/Connection: Faber doesn’t say it’s not books Montag’s looking for, he
says it’s not books at all that he’s
looking to. Very dismissive. Is he implying that the focus on books is mainly
superficial, because that information will always live on with someone? Does he
know this? Perhaps he’s trying to say that the answers aren’t in books, they’re
in the ideas. Even when there are books, people can read them without getting
anything out of them, or even misinterpreting them, as Beatty points out to
Montag when he says “What traitors books can be! You think they’re backing you
up, and they turn on you” (Bradbury 107).
3:
Wording/Style/Connection: Faber, by saying this, is implying that Montag can find “it.” The ironic thing is that
Montag doesn’t have phonograph records or old motion pictures (if they even
still exist) and his only friend was Clarisse, but she died and he only knew
her for a short time anyway, although he did remark to her “Why is it, I feel I’ve
known you so many years?” (Bradbury 28) So why is Faber telling Montag to look
for this concept in things he has no access to? Is he claiming they are
entirely unattainable? Or perhaps just that they don’t exist in material things anymore…
4:
Word Definition/Wording/Connection: One of the interesting OED definitions of “old”
is “To grow old; to deteriorate through age.” This idea of deterioration could
definitely be applicable to books. There’s quite the emphasis on “old,” since
it’s said three whole times in a row. It’s possible Faber is not only talking
about books but also about himself? He does constantly refer to himself as an old
man, for example when he says “I am a
cowardly old fool” (Bradbury 90) He does seem to be reminiscing, as all the “old”
things he lists, at least the first two, likely don’t exist. He has been in his
house for a very long time with little outside influence. Maybe he’s stuck in a
bit of a time warp.
5:
Word Definition: “Friend” is defined by the OED as “A person with whom one has
developed a close and informal relationship of mutual trust and intimacy.” The
only real friend that we know of in Montag’s life was Clarisse and she’s gone
now, but this definition was definitely something their friendship was a prime
example of. No one else has this kind of friendship though – Clarisse couldn’t
find it in people her own age, and Mildred’s friendships are all based on
watching TV.
6:
Wording: The verb switches from “take” to “look.” Interesting that the places
Faber tells Montag to look are more attainable than the things Faber tells
Montag to take. Maybe this verb switch is distinguishing between past options
and present options (even though Faber might not know that). Also, the two
options listed with “look” are the ones that Montag ends up choosing.
7:
Wording/Connection: This is an interesting option because “nature” as in that
kind with plants and animals doesn’t seem to exist until you get to where
Montag fled to at the end. Nature was the place Clarisse looked to find “it,”
probably by going to the same place where Montag ends up, as he guesses in “Once,
long ago, Clarisse had walked here, where he was walking now” (Bradbury 145).
Could Faber possibly mean human
nature as well? But there isn’t much human nature in this world.
8:
Wording/Connection: Fascinating that “yourself” is the last one Faber gives
him. It’s the only one immediately doable. The others aren’t even options, or
he’d have to travel a long ways to reach them. But “yourself” is something that
takes no travelling. Or does it? Montag’s been doing a lot of self-reflection,
but maybe not the kind Faber is intending. Montag finds a poetic, well-written
phrase in himself when he says “That’s the good thing about dying; when you’ve
nothing to lose, you run any risk you want” (Bradbury 85). He doesn’t need to
look that far into himself to find it. Maybe that’s Faber’s point. Literature
is spontaneous, not planned, not scripted. It’s what’s missing from this world.
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