Fahrenheit 451
Part 3: Burning Bright
Pages 107-158
Discussion Questions
1. What does Beatty mean when he says to Montag, “Old Montag
wanted to fly near the sun and now that he’s burnt his…wings,
he wonders why”? (p. 107)
Beatty, who has demonstrated his extensive literary knowledge,
is referring to the Greek myth about Icarus, son of the inventor
Dedalus. Icarus attempted to fly with wax wings. This myth has
traditionally been interpreted to communicate the perils of
ambition and pride in one’s intelligence.
2. What is the significance of the fact that Montag burns his
bedroom first? How does burning his own house bring Montag a
degree of satisfaction? (p. 110)
Montag burns the beds, cosmetics chest, and walls in his
bedroom first because he “wanted to change everything…that
showed he had lived here in this empty house with a strange
woman who would forget him tomorrow, who had gone and
quite forgotten him already”. (p. 110) Their bedroom likely
reminded Montag of his loveless marriage, and the cosmetics
chest likely reminded him of Mildred’s artificiality. Burning in
his own house was almost therapeutic for Montag. He takes
great pleasure in burning the “great idiot monsters” (p. 110), the
parlor screens to which Mildred dedicated her life.
3. Of what is Montag still afraid after he kills Beatty and subdues
the other two firemen? How does he rid himself of this final
threat? (p. 114)
Montag is afraid of the Mechanical Hound, which he knows is
still at large nearby. The Hound appears quickly, and with its
procaine needle “tooth,” advances on Montag to kill him.
However, Montag uses the flamethrower to “burst its metal
bones at the joints, and (blow) out its interior in a single flushing
of red color like a skyrocket fastened to the street” (p. 114)
4. Do you agree with Montag that Beatty wanted to die? (answers
will vary, reread p. 87, 113, 116).
Beatty is a complex character. As someone with great
knowledge of literature, Beatty may have felt ambivalent about
continuing to burn books. Notice the delight he takes in quoting
literature in front of Montag—this may have reawakened his
love for literature and stirred up repressed doubts about his
life’s purpose. Even Faber suspects that Beatty may have
secretly sympathized with their cause: “He could be one of us.
God knows” (p. 87). Beatty doesn’t try to run away when sees
Montag’s fingers twitch on the safety catch of the flamethrower;
instead, he deliberately quotes lines of poetry that he knows will
provoke Montag and taunts him to pull the trigger. On the other
hand, to assuage his own guilt, Montag may only want to believe
that Beatty wanted to die.
5. How does Montag relate to nature once he is thrust into it? (p.
133)
Though his recent reading has made him idealize nature,
Montag’s first actual experience in nature is eye-opening: “He
was moving from an unreality that was frightening into a reality
that was unreal because it was new” (p. 133). The river is cold,
and the starts threaten to “crush him.” (p. 133). Viewing the
moon, Montag struggles to remember grade-school explanations
of celestial bodies. Memories of a childhood visit to a farm
trigger a pastoral fantasy about sleeping in a barn, but when
Montag leave the “comforting” river, the wilderness seems
violent and disturbing. He even mistakes a deer for the
Mechanical Hound. He has been so isolated from natural
sensory experiences that the smells and sights of the
countryside almost overwhelm him. When he reaches the hobo
camp, he is surprised to find that fire can be warm and
comforting.
6. Why is Montag mesmerized by the conversation he overhears as
he hides in the woods observing the hobos around the fires? (p.
140) How does this connect back to Clarisse? (p. 28)
7. Explain the hobo’s reasoning for memorizing famous works
rather than carrying actual copies. (p. 145)
8. Describe the many “deaths” of Mildred. Why do you think
Montag feels conflicted about Mildred at different times in the
novel? (p. 152)
Work on Discussion Questions