Theme (l2)
Part 1
Page 1-30
One of the smaller, more hidden themes, we see in the beginning of the story is the theme that 'Power isn't the key to true happiness'. This is not the main theme of the story but there are small clues leading us to believe this. To start off we know that Guy Montag, the main character of the story, is a pretty powerful man by the way Clarisse, Guy's new neighbor, speaks to him. She says to Guy that she isn't afraid of him and when he asks why she should be she answers with, " "So many people are. Afraid of the firemen, I mean..." " (Bradbury, 5). This, and the fact that the firemen were burning a house down in the first 2 pages of the book, indicate that Guy, being a fireman, is a powerful man. Even though Guy may seem relatively happy in the first few pages of the book we realize that this isn't true happiness. "He wore his happiness like a mask and the girl had run off across the lawn with the mask" (Bradbury, 9).
Page 31-67
The main theme is introduced during this part of the story. You can see the theme 'Technology can rule/ change your life' during Beatty's speech on pages 51-53. He says things like " School is shortened, discipline relaxed, philosophies, histories, languages dropped,English and spelling gradually neglected, finally almost completely ignored" (Bradbury, 52). He also talks about, “ ‘Picture it. Nineteenth-century man with his horses, dogs, carts, slow motion. Then, in the twentieth century, speed up your camera. Books cut shorter. Condensations. Digests. Tabloids. Everything boils down to the gag, the snap ending...' " (Bradbury, 52).
Part 2
Page 68-90
Another smaller theme that can pulled from the story during this part is 'Literature is essential to human exsistance and logic'. We can see this during Faber's "speech" to Montag. He says things like " 'Books were only one type of receptacle where we stored a lot of things we were afraid we might forget. There is nothing magical in them, at all. The magic is only in what books say, how they stitched the patches of the universe together into one garment for us.' " (Bradbury, 79). This basically says that even though there is nothing magical in books they still help to stitch the way we look at the world. Books help us learn from mistakes. Books can help to make a better society.
Page 91-106
" 'I plunk the children in schools nine days out of ten. I put up with them when they come home three days a month; it's not that bad at all. You heave them into the 'parlor' and turn the switch. It's like washing clothes; stuff laundry in and slam the lid... They'd just as soon kick as kiss me. Thank God, I can kick back.' " (Bradbury, 92) is a quote that can be used to support or elaborate the theme from pages 51-53. In a way it can make the theme from pages 51-53 more specific and narrowed down. This quote basically explains that the way the world functions now is very differently from the ways then or even now, really. Everyone is so focused on the technologies of the world that all of the genuine love is gone. This is basically just a more specific way to say that Technology has/can rule your life
Part 3
Page 107-158
"He saw her in her hotel room somewhere now in the half second remaining with the bombs a yard, a foot, an inch from her building. He saw her leaning toward the great shimmering walls of color and motion where the family talked and talked and talked to her, where the family prattled and chatted and said her name and smiled at her and said nothing of the bomb that was an inch, now a half inch, now a quarter inch from the top of the hotel. Leaning into the wall as if all the hunger of looking would find the secret of her sleepless unease there. Mildred, leaning anxiously nervously, as if to plunge, drop, fall into that swarming immensity of color to drown in its bright happiness. The first bomb struck." (Bradbury, 152-153). This quote helps to support the main theme of the book from pages 51-53. This shows us that the people are so engrossed in their technology that they don't even notice when they are being bombed. During this part nobody was paniking, everyone was inside like always. Nobody faught back because they didn't even register what happens. This is when the theme from earleir starts to fully make sense. Bradbury is trying to convey by this that when technologies keep advancingat the rate they are, they can start to take over or control parts of our lives. If we let that continue to happen our lives will be completly taken over by technologies and events like this could quite possibly come true. This story truly helps us to see that 'Technolgy can rule/overtake our lives'.
Page 1-30
One of the smaller, more hidden themes, we see in the beginning of the story is the theme that 'Power isn't the key to true happiness'. This is not the main theme of the story but there are small clues leading us to believe this. To start off we know that Guy Montag, the main character of the story, is a pretty powerful man by the way Clarisse, Guy's new neighbor, speaks to him. She says to Guy that she isn't afraid of him and when he asks why she should be she answers with, " "So many people are. Afraid of the firemen, I mean..." " (Bradbury, 5). This, and the fact that the firemen were burning a house down in the first 2 pages of the book, indicate that Guy, being a fireman, is a powerful man. Even though Guy may seem relatively happy in the first few pages of the book we realize that this isn't true happiness. "He wore his happiness like a mask and the girl had run off across the lawn with the mask" (Bradbury, 9).
Page 31-67
The main theme is introduced during this part of the story. You can see the theme 'Technology can rule/ change your life' during Beatty's speech on pages 51-53. He says things like " School is shortened, discipline relaxed, philosophies, histories, languages dropped,English and spelling gradually neglected, finally almost completely ignored" (Bradbury, 52). He also talks about, “ ‘Picture it. Nineteenth-century man with his horses, dogs, carts, slow motion. Then, in the twentieth century, speed up your camera. Books cut shorter. Condensations. Digests. Tabloids. Everything boils down to the gag, the snap ending...' " (Bradbury, 52).
Part 2
Page 68-90
Another smaller theme that can pulled from the story during this part is 'Literature is essential to human exsistance and logic'. We can see this during Faber's "speech" to Montag. He says things like " 'Books were only one type of receptacle where we stored a lot of things we were afraid we might forget. There is nothing magical in them, at all. The magic is only in what books say, how they stitched the patches of the universe together into one garment for us.' " (Bradbury, 79). This basically says that even though there is nothing magical in books they still help to stitch the way we look at the world. Books help us learn from mistakes. Books can help to make a better society.
Page 91-106
" 'I plunk the children in schools nine days out of ten. I put up with them when they come home three days a month; it's not that bad at all. You heave them into the 'parlor' and turn the switch. It's like washing clothes; stuff laundry in and slam the lid... They'd just as soon kick as kiss me. Thank God, I can kick back.' " (Bradbury, 92) is a quote that can be used to support or elaborate the theme from pages 51-53. In a way it can make the theme from pages 51-53 more specific and narrowed down. This quote basically explains that the way the world functions now is very differently from the ways then or even now, really. Everyone is so focused on the technologies of the world that all of the genuine love is gone. This is basically just a more specific way to say that Technology has/can rule your life
Part 3
Page 107-158
"He saw her in her hotel room somewhere now in the half second remaining with the bombs a yard, a foot, an inch from her building. He saw her leaning toward the great shimmering walls of color and motion where the family talked and talked and talked to her, where the family prattled and chatted and said her name and smiled at her and said nothing of the bomb that was an inch, now a half inch, now a quarter inch from the top of the hotel. Leaning into the wall as if all the hunger of looking would find the secret of her sleepless unease there. Mildred, leaning anxiously nervously, as if to plunge, drop, fall into that swarming immensity of color to drown in its bright happiness. The first bomb struck." (Bradbury, 152-153). This quote helps to support the main theme of the book from pages 51-53. This shows us that the people are so engrossed in their technology that they don't even notice when they are being bombed. During this part nobody was paniking, everyone was inside like always. Nobody faught back because they didn't even register what happens. This is when the theme from earleir starts to fully make sense. Bradbury is trying to convey by this that when technologies keep advancingat the rate they are, they can start to take over or control parts of our lives. If we let that continue to happen our lives will be completly taken over by technologies and events like this could quite possibly come true. This story truly helps us to see that 'Technolgy can rule/overtake our lives'.