Fahrenheit 451: Symbols

Two of the sections of Fahrenheit 451 are symbols. The Hearth and the Salamander and The Sieve and the Sand.

The hearth represents fire and the home. The first section is called The Hearth and the Salamander, and it is about Guy Montag's home and job. The hearth is also like a fireplace. It is a usual symbol for the home. The salamander is on all of the firemen's uniforms. They also call their trucks salamanders. The salamander is the official symbol for the firemen. The hearth and the salamander both represent fire. The hearth, obviously, holds fire in it, and salamanders are thought to live in fires and not be affected by them. Therefore the salamander is a good symbol for the firemen because it would be pretty bad if a fireman burned to death.

The sieve and the sand represent a childhood memory from Guy Montag. When Montag was little his cousin took a dime from him when they were at the beach. Guy Montag tried to find it in the sand by using a sieve. He was so frustrated he started to cry. Guy Montag compares this memory to the task of trying to read the Bible. Actually he compares it to the task of trying to memorize as much of the Bible as possible before he reaches Professor Faber's house. It is a very hard goal to reach just like finding a dime in the sand on the beach. (That rhymed!) Basically, the sieve represents Guy Montag trying to find a truth in the Bible, and the sand represents what he is thinking. His mean cousin also represents the people who are keeping Guy Montag from fulfilling this task. These people would include Captain Beatty and Guy's wife, Mildred Montag.

The last section of the book does not really represent anything inparticular. It is called Burning Bright. I think it is called that for a few reasons. First, Guy Montag burns his house down and burns Captain Beatty to death. And second, Guy's mind and future seem like they are going to be bright. At the end of the novel, the reader can kind of guess that Guy and the other hobos will help the survivors of the bomb, and maybe those people will finally except reading books and facing the real world.