New Beginnings

  The last section of the book begins with Montag seeing the other men's faces in daylight, and realizing that they just look like ordinary men.  "He was looking for a brightness, a resolve, a triumph over tomorrow that hardly seemed to be there" (p. 154), but he did not see it.  Instead he saw only faces of men who were unsure of anything except for the books stored in their heads.  As they walk on, Montag looks back at the city and thinks of Mildred.  He thinks it's odd that he doesn't miss her and the thinks that something is wrong with him because he says that if she were to die, he wouldn't feel much of anything.  Granger explains to him that when he was a boy his grandfather died, and he realized that he was sad because he would miss all the things that his grandfather did in the world.  Montag begins thinking about Mildred and how she never really did anything.  He think about himself, and what did he ever do… burn books.  Granger makes him realize that "everyone must leave something behind when he dies" (p.156) so that the people who are still living have something to remember them.  

  Then, Montag and the other men, in an instant, see bombs released upon the city.  In that moment, Montag imagines where Mildred might be.  He pictures her in a hotel room with the TV walls talking to her.  He hopes that maybe the first bomb would cut off all the TV connections so that "she saw her own face reflected there, in a mirror instead of a crystal ball, and it was such a wildly empty face, all by itself in the room, touching nothing, starved and eating of itself" (p.159) before the walls caved in on her a brought her to her death.  It is while picturing this that Montag remembers he met Mildred in Chicago, a long time ago.  He also remembers that part of Ecclesiastes and Revelations and repeats it to himself over and over again, until the bombing stopped.  Montag wonders if how many other cities had been attacked and how many have died?  The books ends with the men heading back into the city to help any survivors and Montag prepared with his knowledge of the books he's memorized to help the people in this disastrous time.

Reaction:

  I think this was a good ending.  The war, which was only mentioned here and there throughout the book, did end up playing a big role in the end, as that was the cause for the city being blown up.  Maybe now is the moment they have been waiting for, to bring the people out of their ignorant ways and get them to want to know what's happening in the world and in their own community.  There were a few overall messages that I got out of this book as far as applying it to the real world:  1) Knowledge is power.  Know what's going on in your community and country.  Make an effort to learn things everyday; 2) Don't let technology take over.  Don't just sit in front of the TV all day and let it brainwash you.  Go to the beach, or on a hike.  Go for a walk in the park.  Read a book.  Do activities that will stimulate your mind; and 3) Leave something behind in this world.  Make a difference somehow, no matter how big or how small, it will give the people you love and who love you things to remember you by.  This concludes this in depth book blog of "Fahrenheit 451" and I thoroughly enjoyed reading and blogging about this book.  Two thumbs up! 

Knowledge Within

  Montag walks along the railway until he sees a fire in the distance.  This fire is different than any he's ever seen, because it was being used for warmth instead of for burning.  "He hadn't known fire could look this way.  He had never thought in his life that it could give as well as take" p. 146.  The people around the fire call him to come out, and the leader of the group, Granger tell Montag to drink a fluid that will change his chemical index so that it will throw the Hound off his scent.  He finds that they already know his name since they have been watching the live feed on a portable TV.  They all watch as the TV shows the Hound heading back into the city, which confuses Montag.  Granger explains to him that they lost him in the river and they don't want to admit it so they are going to fake his death.  Sure enough, moments later, the Hound closes in on "Montag" who is really just an innocent man talking a walk, and the TV announces that the chase is over and Montag is dead.  

  Granger introduces everyone to Montag.  When Montag says that he doesn't belong, because he's "been an idiot all the way" (p.150), Granger assures him that they have all made mistakes that led them to where they are, hiding along the railways.  Montag tells Granger that he has part of the Book of Ecclesiastes and a little of Revelation memorized in his head.  Granger tells him that this is perfect because this is the very way that they have learned to carry on the knowledge of books.  Each person memorizes a book, then burns it.  That way, if anyone every stops them, they have nothing to incriminate them, but the knowledge is still there in their mind.  They can pass on the knowledge to future generations and it will never get lost.  They realize that "a lot will be lost that way, of course.  But you can't make people listen.  They have to come 'round in their own time" (p. 153).  The plan is that one day, maybe when the war is over, or whenever people begin coming around, they can call in all the people who have memorized the books and put into print whatever can be remembered.  Granger says that the cycle may even continue after that to where the day comes when books are being burned again, "but that's the wonderful thing about man; he never gets so discouraged or disgusted that he gives up doing it all over again, because he knows very well it is important and worth the doing" (p. 153).  

Reaction & Questions:

  I'm not surprised that the government tried to cover up the fact that they lost Montag, but I did not realize they would go so far as to kill an innocent man just to prove it to the public.  I think this idea of keeping the books memorized could work, although, I imagine that it would be difficult to memorize a whole book!  I don't think that I would be able to.  Although, I do see that it would make sense to do it this way, so that they don't have to be so paranoid about hiding the books when they are in public, or stopped by authorities.  How will the book end?  Maybe it will flash forward several years and Montag will get to see the world coming around?  Or maybe it will just end with him waiting, memorizing new books?  Perhaps it will end with Montag meeting up with Faber as they talked about earlier in the book.  

Revelations of Montag and Also of Myself

  In this section, the Hound reaches the river, but seems to have lost Montag's scent since instead of following the river, the helicopters and the Hound go back toward land in the opposite direction of Montag.  Montag uses his time floating the the river to think and reflect on everything that's happened.  He has a revelation that he must never burn again because "The sun burnt every day.  It burnt Time.  The world rushed in a circle and turned on its axis and time was busy burning the years and the people anyway, without any help from him" (p.141).  He also realizes that burning books is not the only issue and that someone needs to start "saving and keeping, one way or another, in books, in records, in people's heads, any way at all so long as it was safe…The world was full of burning of all types and sizes" (p.141).  Montag is seeing the bigger picture now of his corrupted world.  

  Montag then decides to get out of the river and as soon as he does, he sees two eyes peering out at him and he immediately thinking it's the Hound!  He can't believe after all of that, the Hound has still managed to find him, but when he shouts in exasperation, the eyes run away, and he realizes that it's just a deer.  Montag relaxes and takes in everything pleasant about nature, "the more he breathed the land in, the more he was filled up with all the details of the land.  He was not empty" (p.144).  Montag finally seems to be filling the void and emptiness that he felt in his old life.  He's beginning to find the things that he always felt was missing from his life.  This section ends with Montag finding the railroad track and for reasons he can't explain or prove, he just knows that Clarisse had been at the exact spot once upon a time, long ago.  

Reaction & Questions:  In this short section, although not much happens physically, a lot is explained about Montag's emotions.  I loved the revelation about the sun burning time.  He's having the realization that life is short, and he must live it to its fullest.  Since Montag has found the railroad tracks, does this mean he has escaped?  Will he reunite with Faber somehow?  Will he find people on the tracks like Faber said he would?  Will the reader get to see/find out what is happening in the town or will we stay with Montag until the end of the book?  

Reaction - A Text-to-World Connection:  In the homework done class this week, I had a text-to-world connection regarding this book overall that I want to include in this week's blog.  We learned about spoof ads, which use humor and satire to try to show the world what's really happening, similar to what Montag is trying to do.  This ad in particular is what made me have the text-to-world connection:  

  After seeing this ad, I immediately thought of "Fahrenheit 451" and how everyone follows the TV walls and practically lives by the TV walls.  This ad is aimed at our current world in 2013.  This book was written in 1953.  I'm not sure how much TV influenced America in 1953, but obviously enough for the author, Ray Bradbury, to see where it was leading our country.  I think I was too wrapped up in the story of the book to really think beyond it.  After seeing this ad though, I now completely see the parallels in the book and the world that I live in.  I can't believe that I didn't see it before.  Very interesting and sad stuff.  Hopefully our world does not get as bad as it does in the book, but I see how we could be heading down that road.