Guided by the Phoenix: Symbolism in Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451 Dasha Smirnova 8th Grade

It was a pleasure to burn. Yet the ice in Montag’s heart was the only reason he set the books to flames: the feeling of emptiness, of no meaning in life. They all went away as the paper burned to dirt black ashes and a beautiful puff of smoke arose from it, resembling nothing other than a phoenix, smoldering to the ground only to rise up again. The warmth of the flames subtly crept up to his skin. The fire drew him in, but as soon as he approached it, it snarled and bit at Montag. The fire was no friend to him, but the phoenix, spiritually, was him. As close analysis of Bradbury's text demonstrates, the phoenix is an extremely important symbol and overall crucial part of Fahrenheit 451 because it ties in with the themes of the book, represents Montag, and is a critical component of many cultures today.

First and foremost, the phoenix is a crucial symbol and component to the text because it ties with the themes of Fahrenheit 451, the most important theme being balance. There is a need for balance in every government: a balance of conformity and freedom. We cannot have only conformity, and we see this clearly in the book. The society depicted is simply a world of sameness, people having no identity. This is unfortunate because...