SYMBOLS & DETAILS
All firemen were chosen to have this, reflecting society's emphasis on conformity
The same appearance / uniform look
Montag hides a book under this object at home
His pillow
Beatty says that books produce a certain feeling instead of happiness
Unhappiness / Confusion
Montag secretly takes a specific item from the old woman’s house
A book
”’The first time we ever met, where was it, and when?’”
Montag
These replace real human relationships in Mildred's life
Her TV walls / TV “family”
Montag begins to question his job after hearing that a man was sent to this place for keeping books
According to Beatty, a certain technology reduced interest in reading
Television / Radio / Seashells
The old woman does this to ensure her death during the fire
She lights the fire herself with a match
”’Didn’t firemen prevent fires rather than stoke them up and get them going?’”
Clarisse McClellan
The smell that becomes unbearable to Montag
Kerosene
Montag begins questioning this aspect of his life after the house fire
His role as a fireman / his happiness / his job
Beatty says that books require something that most people dislike
Thinking / Effort
Montag feels this physical reaction after the old woman dies in the fire
Sickness / Nausea
”’Any man’s insane who thinks he can fool the Government and us’”
Captain Beatty
Beatty repeats onomatopoeias and rapid, short words like "'Click, Pic, Look, Eye, Now'" to emphasize this about society
The extreme speed, superficiality, and mechanical nature of their modern, technological society
Montag’s conflict with Mildred shows that their marriage lacks this
Real emotional connection
Beatty explains that pressure to censor books came from a specific group
Minority groups
At the end of the section, Montag begins reading this book, showing his first real step toward independent thought
Gulliver’s Travels
”’Where's your common sense? None of those books agree with each other’”
Captain Beatty
This animal is used in a simile to describe a burning book
Montag and Mildred sleep in this arrangement, showing emotional and physical distance between them
Separate beds
Beatty describes the first fireman in history as this famous historical figure
Benjamin Franklin
After returning home from the old woman’s house, Montag observes Mildred talking at him in this way, and compares her speech to this, highlighting its shallow, repetitive nature
A two-year-old child building word patterns
“‘…war may be declared any hour. This country stands ready to defend its—’”
The radio