Fahrenheit 451 (1966 film) Literary Elements

Fahrenheit 451 (1966 film) Literary Elements

Director

Francois Truffaut

Leading Actors/Actresses

Oskar Werner

Supporting Actors/Actresses

Julie Christie, Cyril Cusack

Genre

Science Fiction

Language

English

Awards

Nominated for the 1967 Hugo Award and 1966 Golden Lion

Date of Release

September 16, 1966

Producer

Lewis M. Allen

Setting and Context

Futuristic dystopian society, possibly in England

Narrator and Point of View

Narrator is a third-person omniscient character who understands the thoughts and functionings of each individual. However, most of the character interplay occurs during dialogue.

Tone and Mood

As it is set in a dystopian society where a totalitarian government controls everything, the tone and mood are melancholy, morose, scared, and dark.

Protagonist and Antagonist

The protagonist is Guy Montag, who breaks free from the conformity of society. Although society itself could be said to be the antagonist, a specific character would be the Captain of the firemen.

Major Conflict

The major conflict occurs because Guy Montag has a change of heart and ideology. He no longer believes that books are evil and that they should be burnt. Going against the law of their oppressive society, Guy Montag secretly collects and reads books until he is caught.

Climax

When the books at Guy Montag's house are being burnt to ashes, Linda Montag is leaving him, and the Captain is lecturing him about right and wrong, Guy Montag snaps. In a moment of rage and desperation, a moment that becomes the climax, Guy Montag kills the captain with his flamethrower.

Foreshadowing

There is foreshadowing that the Captain knows what Montag is up to. He persistently questions Montag and asks him what he does on his days off. Montag cooly replies to the Captain but the Captain says that every one makes mistakes, and that it is better to fess up early than continue.

Understatement

An understatement would be the idea mentioned that literature is not allowed. There is a special government division dedicated wholly to the eradication and extermination of books, and they hunt and arrest anyone found hoarding or reading books.

Innovations in Filming or Lighting or Camera Techniques

The film uses innovative lighting techniques by allowing a sole flame of fire to light up Guy Montag's face in certain scenes. Not only does the flickering source of light move his face in and out of darkness, representing his dueling identities, it is also a symbolic way to use the fire.

Allusions

Fahrenheit 451 directly alludes to the novel 1984 by George Orwell, which describes how the first steps an oppressive government will take to control the people is take away freedom of thought and expression.

Paradox

The rationale behind the destruction of the books in this society by the government is that it makes people happier and more satisfied. However, as we can see with Linda Montag's character, she is wholly unfulfilled in her life.

Parallelism

Linda Montag and Clarisse are "two sides of the same coin," as noted by the director in his decision to choose the same actress to play both roles. This represents the parallelism between their two characters and how although their ideas may seem drastically different, they are both internally questioning their purpose in society at large.

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