Characters & Setting
Who is the book’s protagonist, introduced in the opening pages, a firefighter whose job is to burn books?
Guy Montag
What action begins the novel’s first scene (The protagonist is doing this at the very start)?
Burning a house of books / performing a book-burning on a woman.
What common household object is used to show Mildred’s dependence on technology (name it)?
“Seashell” earpieces (parlor walls/TV walls are also acceptable)
Explotation
the unfair use of someone or something for one’s benefit
Odious
unpleasant, hated, or offensive
Name the young woman who appears on the street and later becomes important to the protagonist’s thinking.
Clarisse McClellan (the young neighbor)
What does Montag say is "like perfume" to him?
Kerosene
Fire is a central image in the novel. In the opening pages, list one way fire is represented (literal or figurative).
Fire as cleansing/destroying; it’s both spectacle and tool of censorship.
Incriminate
to make someone seem guilty of a crime
Pulverize
to destroy or crush into small bits
What is the historical-sounding setting in which Montag lives (describe the society briefly in one sentence)?
A near-future, dystopian, highly controlled society that bans books and promotes conformity.
The emergency responders' attitude towards Montag shows what about people in this society?
People don't care about one another, and are selfish
Based on what we have read, what can the reader infer about the government or social order in the book?
The government censors information through book burning and is reliant on technology.
Invigorate
To fill with energy
Radical
someone who wants extreme change in government or society
Describe Montag’s job duties and one key irony about what firefighters do in this society.
Montag burns books for a living; it's ironic because firefighters are supposed to stop fires, not start them.
After returning home from the call, what troubling discovery about Mildred is revealed?
Mildred has overdosed on sleeping pills; technicians revive her but show indifference and emptiness.
Identify and explain the meaning of the “seashell” devices (how do they function symbolically for society?).
Seashells symbolize constant, numbing entertainment and the erosion of independent thought.
Luminous
Bright; full of light
Rationalize
to create a reason or excuse for something
Identify Mildred and explain her relationship to Montag, and one detail that shows her state of mind.
Mildred is Montag’s wife
She is emotionally detached/addicted to entertainment and the “seashell” radio devices
evidence: overdose/attempted suicide and immersion in wall‑TVs and seashells.
What two devices are used by the emergency responders on Mildred?
A cobra-like vacuum that pumps your stomach, and a device that gives you new blood
The mechanical hound is introduced early. Describe one symbolic reading of the hound as it relates to control or fear.
The mechanical hound represents technological enforcement, surveillance, and the sinister, dehumanized policing of society.
Oblivion
the state of being completely destroyed, forgotten, or unaware
Subside
to become weaker or less intense