FAHRENHEIT 451 STUDY GUIDE

LESSON 1
BEFORE READING
Examining an author’s life can inform and expand the understanding of a
novel. Biographical criticism is the practice of analyzing a literary work
through the lens of an author’s experience. In this lesson, we will explore the
author’s life to understand the novel more fully.
Fahrenheit 451 is, in some ways, the author’s tribute to the role that books
and libraries have played in his life. After all, Bradbury wrote hundreds of
works (novels, stories, screenplays, essays, and poems) with only a high
school education, an inspiring desire to learn, and a worn out library card.
Discussion Activity
Divide into three groups, read the essays, “Ray Bradbury,” “Literature and
Censorship,” and “Bradbury and His Other Works.” Divide the class into
groups. Assign one essay to each group. After reading and discussing the
essays, each group will present what they have learned from the essay.
Please add a creative twist to make your presentation memorable.
Answer the question:
The novel begins: “It was a pleasure to burn.” Why does Bradbury start the
novel in this way? Why might it be more pleasurable to burn books rather
than read them?
Homework
Read Handout One: The Fifties. Begin Part One of the novel. Consider the
differences between Montag’s life and Clarisse’s life.

LESSON 2
FOCUS: Culture and History
Cultural and historical contexts give birth to dilemmas and themes as the
center of the novel. Studying these contexts and appreciating intricate
details of the time and place help readers understand the motivations of the
characters.
Fahrenheit 451 was published in 1953, the year the Korean War ended. The
memory of Hitler’s atrocities and World War II was less than a decade old.
The Cold War, meanwhile, had hardened into a standoff. In 1952 the United
States tested a hydrogen bomb, and the Soviet Union followed suit a year
later. A year after the publication of Fahrenheit 451, the Voice of America

1
began broadcasting jazz worldwide. In New York, saxophonist Charlie Parker
and trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie inspired audiences with their dynamic
virtuosity. In 1956, the U.S. State Department sent Duke Ellington, Dizzy
Gillespie, and Louis Armstrong on tour in the hope that their performances
would spread American democracy and alleviate the tensions of the Cold
War.
Discussion Activities
1. Identify several aspects of the novel that link to trends in politics,
music, literature, and technology.

2. Play clips of Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis, and Dave
Brubeck. Take notes as you listen. See if you can identify patterns in
the music. Team with your school’s music teacher to further explore
the music of the 1950s.

3. Montag’s television includes headphones called seashells. The “wall to

wall circuit” allows Mildred to enter the “play” and, therefore, the
television programming. How does the technology within the novel
compare to our current technology? Does technology improve the
quality of life for Montag and his wife, Mildred? Why or why not?
Homework
Finish Part One. Consider why the narrator introduces us to Montag at this
time of his life, when he encounters Clarisse and confronts Mildred’s
overdose.

LESSON 3
FOCUS: Narrative and Point of View
The narrator tells the story with a specific perspective informed by his beliefs
and experiences. Narrators can be major or minor characters, or exist outside
the story altogether. The narrator weaves his point of view, including
ignorance and bias, into telling the tale. A first-person narrator participates in
the events of the novel, using “I.” A distanced narrator, often not a character,
is removed from the action of the story and uses the third person (he, she,
and they). The distanced narrator may be omniscient, able to read the minds
of all the characters, or limited, describing only certain characters’ thoughts
and feelings. Ultimately, the type of narrator determines the point of view
from which the story is told.
Bradbury employs a third-person limited narrator in Fahrenheit 451. We know
only Montag’s movements and thoughts. The narration follows Montag like a

2
camera, and the reader is never allowed into the lives of other characters,
except for what they say to him. This inevitably increases our sympathy for
Montag.

Discussion Activities
Reread Captain Beatty’s monologue. Discuss his view that school cultivates
anti-intellectual sentiment. Do you think it accurately depicts your school? Do
books violate the idea that “everyone is made equal?”
How might this story be narrated in the first-person from the point of view of
a government official that believes burning books protects society?
Homework
Begin Part Two. Five significant characters have been introduced: Montag,
Clarisse, Mildred, Beatty, and Faber. Make lists of what motivates each of
these characters.

Lesson Four
FOCUS: Characters
The central character in a work of literature, the protagonist usually initiates
the main action of the story and often overcomes a flaw, such as weakness
or ignorance, to achieve a new understanding by the work’s end. A
protagonist who acts with great honor or courage may be called a hero. An
antihero is a protagonist lacking these qualities. Instead of being dignified,
brave, idealistic, or purposeful, the antihero may be cowardly, self-interested,
or weak. The protagonist’s journey is enriched by encounters with characters
who hold differing beliefs. One such character type, a foil, has traits that
contrast with the protagonist’s and highlight important features of the main
character’s personality. The most important foil, the antagonist, opposes the
protagonist, barring or complicating his or her success.
Captain Beatty, the fire chief, is a key foil and a historian of sorts. While
Montag once followed Beatty’s values, he now resists Beatty’s commitment
to burning books. Meanwhile, Faber represents a musty, academic link to the
past. Clarisse McClellan, a teenager, longs for the romantic days of front
porches and rocking chairs, complaining, “we never ask questions.” Mildred,
the model citizen, attempts suicide while living in a world enchanted by
television.

3
Discussion Activities
Divide into four groups to examine the role of foils in the novel. Each group
will be assigned a character: Mildred, Clarisse, Faber, or Beatty. Review the
first ninety- one pages of the novel and look for occasions when this
character brings out dramatic responses from Montag. How does the
character lead Montag toward self-realization? How does Montag’s
relationship to the character change? Present your conclusions to the class,
using specific textual support
Homework
Finish Part Two. Write one page explaining why Bradbury chose either “The
Hearth and the Salamander” or “The Sieve and the Sand” as a section title.
You should explain what this title means.

Lesson Five
FOCUS: Figurative Language
Writers use figurative language to help the reader visualize and experience
events and emotions in a story.
Imagery—a word or phrase that refers to sensory experience (sight, sound,
smell, touch, or taste)—helps create a physical experience for the reader and
adds immediacy to literary language.
Some figurative language asks us to stretch our imaginations, finding the
likeness in seemingly unrelated things. Simile is a comparison of two things
that initially seem quite different but are shown to have significant
resemblance. Similes employ connective words, usually “like,” “as,” “than,”
or a verb such as “resembles.” A metaphor is a statement that one thing is
something else that, in a literal sense, it is not. By asserting that a thing is
something else, a metaphor creates a close association that underscores an
important similarity between these two things.
Discussion Activities
What does figurative language ask of the reader? Does exploring a novel’s
figurative language train us in precisely the thinking that Beatty hates? Why
or why not?
Homework
Begin Part Three. Read Handout Two: Science Fiction. Note the descriptions
of the Mechanical Hound. How is the Mechanical Hound a symbol of

4
something else? Are there other images in the reading that could be
symbols?

Lesson Six
FOCUS: Symbols
Symbols are persons, places or things in a narrative that have meaning
beyond a literal understanding. The craft of storytelling depends on symbols
to present ideas and point toward new meanings. Most frequently, a specific
object will be used to refer to (or symbolize) a more abstract concept. The
repeated appearance of an object suggests a non-literal, or figurative,
meaning attached to the object. Symbols are often found in the book’s title,
at the beginning and end of the story, within a profound action, or in the
name or personality of a character. The life of a novel is perpetuated by
generations of readers interpreting and reinterpreting the main symbols. By
identifying and understanding symbols, readers can reveal new
interpretations of the novel.
Bradbury repeats and expands certain images. Front porches and rocking
chairs symbolize the past, a time when people intermingled without the
distraction of electronic screens. The Mechanical Hound, an especially
important symbol, represents Montag’s modern world and the deadly
possibilities around every corner.
Discussion Activities
1. Bradbury writes, “The books leapt and danced like roasted birds, their
wings ablaze with red and yellow feathers.” Divide into three groups to
examine each segment of the book, starting at the beginning. Each
group will present the symbols that appear in its section. You should be
especially attentive to the way Bradbury uses fire and books both
literally and symbolically.
2. Reread the detailed description of the Hound and the battle. Why might
Montag’s expression of affection to the Hound mark a turning point in
his development? What role does affection play in this world? What
might be the significance of Montag’s final battle with the Hound?
Finally, how might the Mechanical Hound be a symbol for Montag’s
world?
Homework
Continue reading Part Three. Ask students to think about what kind of
transformation Montag has experienced and consider whether anyone else in
the novel has undergone a similar journey.

5
Lesson Seven
FOCUS: Character Development
Novels trace the development of characters who encounter a series of
challenges. Most characters contain a complex balance of virtues and vices.
Internal and external forces require characters to question themselves,
overcome fears, or reconsider dreams. The protagonist may undergo
profound change. A close study of character development maps, in each
character, the evolution of motivation, personality, and belief. The tension
between a character’s strengths and weaknesses keeps the reader guessing
about what might happen next and the protagonist’s eventual success or
failure.
Montag questions whether his profession is justified and whether the values
he has held so dear—burning books and all it implies—are wrong. Mrs.
Hudson forces Montag to question whether his life might be fundamentally
improved by reading. Is he missing something invaluable? He then repudiates
his profession. He does so partly through the intercession of Clarisse and
Faber, messengers from a world he barely understands. The narrator
explains, “Even now he could feel the start of the long journey, the leave-
taking, the going-away from the self he had been.” By the end of the novel,
Montag has been profoundly changed. As a three-dimensional character,
Montag has an inner and an outer life unlike the two- dimensional portraits of
other characters.
Discussion Activities
1. In Part Three, Beatty explains “Old Montag wanted to fly near the sun
and now that he’s burnt his damn wings, he wonders why. Didn’t I hint
enough when I sent the Hound around your place?” Beatty refers to the
myth of Icarus, told in Ovid’s first-century poem The Metamorphoses.
A version can be found at http://classics.mit.edu/Ovid/metam.html.
Why does Bradbury compare Montag to Icarus. How does this shed
light on Montag’s development?

2. As Montag escapes the city and enters the silences of the natural
world, he looks forward to the time “needed to think all the things that
must be thought.” He discovers “He was not empty. There was more
than enough here to fill him.” How has the silence and emptiness of
nature proved fulfilling compared to his former life? How have books
led to these realizations?
Homework

6
Finish Part Three. Begin to think about how Bradbury has constructed the plot
to reach this dramatic conclusion. You should come to class ready to discuss
the two most important turning points in the novel.

Lesson Eight
FOCUS: The Plot Unfolds
The author crafts a plot structure to create expectations, increase tension
and develop characters. The pacing of events can make a novel either
predictable or riveting. Foreshadowing and flashbacks allow the author to
defy the constraints of time. Sometimes an author can confound a simple
plot by telling stories within stories. In a conventional work of fiction, the
peak of the story’s conflict—the climax—is followed by the resolution, or
denouement, in which the effects of that climactic action are presented.
Ray Bradbury made choices about how to structure and pace events to
explore how book burning can erode the human imagination. In this lesson,
map the events of the story to assess the artistry of storytelling. Some of the
turning points in the novel include Mrs. Hudson’s willingness to die for books,
Montag’s confrontation with his wife’s friends, Montag’s murder of Captain
Beatty, and Montag’s creative escape from the Mechanical Hound.
Punctuated by an audible refrain of flying jets as well as constant
surveillance, Bradbury amplifies Montag’s unease and foreshadows war.
Montag, like a rat in a maze, turns corner after corner until he finds an exit.
Discussion Activities
1. In small groups, map a timeline that depicts the development of the
story. This map should include the most significant turning points but
also examine the lesser events that build tension. As you develop your
timelines, you should define the beginning, middle, and end of the
novel. Groups should present their work to the class.

2. Imagine you are making a movie of Fahrenheit 451. You have to cut
certain scenes because of limited running time. Divide into groups and
have each suggest two scenes that could be dropped. How does cutting
certain scenes change the story?
Homework
Read the “Afterword” and the “Coda.” Read Handout Three: The Book of
Ecclesiastes. Although we have focused on Montag as the central character,
could books be the heroes of the novel?

7
Lesson Nine
FOCUS: Themes of the Novel

Themes are the central recurring subjects of a novel. As characters face with
circumstances such as racism, class, or unrequited love, profound questions
will arise in the reader’s mind about human life, social pressures, and societal
expectations. Classic themes include intellectual freedom versus censorship,
the relationship between one’s personal moral code and larger political
justice, and spiritual faith versus rational considerations. A novel often
reconsiders these age-old debates by presenting them in new contexts or
from new points of view.
As one reads Fahrenheit 451, certain themes stand out: the repression of free
thought through censorship, a proper education that values books, the loss of
culture and history, the threat that new technology may deaden human
experience, the constant demand to satisfy immediate visual and sensory
appetites, the value of authentic human interaction, and the value of the
natural world. For Bradbury, our choice to use, misuse, or discard books
relates to all these themes.

Discussion Activities
Use the following questions to stimulate discussion. Link Faber’s comments
on books to other passages that reflect on the same theme.
a. Happiness
“We have everything we need to be happy, but we aren’t happy. Something’s
missing.” How might Bradbury be defining happiness in Fahrenheit 451?
Does he present a new idea of happiness or preserve an older idea?
b. Knowledge
“[Books] stitched the patches of the universe together into one garment for
us.” How do books draw together ideas and information so as to capture
details that might otherwise be missed?
c. Freedom of Thought
“The televisor … tells you what to think and blasts it in.” Members of this
world have “plenty off-hours” but do they have “time to think”? What kind of
8
thinking do Faber and Bradbury prefer? Will it initially make life more
difficult?
d. Education
“Remember, the firemen are rarely necessary. The public itself stopped
reading of its own accord.” What kind of education is necessary to create
citizens who recognize “quality of information,” take “leisure to digest it,”
and “carry out actions based on what we learn from the interaction of the
first two?” How might this relate to our current educational system?

Lesson Ten
FOCUS: What Makes a Book Great?
Great stories articulate and explore the mysteries of our daily lives in the
larger context of the human struggle. The writer’s voice, style, and use of
language inform the plot, characters, and themes. By creating opportunities
to learn, imagine, and reflect, a great novel is a work of art that affects many
generations of readers, changes lives, challenges assumptions, and breaks
new ground.
Discussion Activities
1. Make a list of the characteristics of a great book. Put these on the
board.
What elevates a novel to greatness? Then ask them to discuss, within
groups, other books that include some of the same characteristics.
Which characteristics can be found in Fahrenheit 451?
2. A great writer can be the voice of a generation. What kind of voice does
Bradbury provide through Montag? What does this voice tell us about
the concerns and dreams of his generation?

Writing Exercises
1. Bradbury opens the novel with a quote from Juan Ramón Jiménez: “If
they give you ruled paper, write the other way.” Why did Bradbury
select this statement, and what does it mean? Write two paragraphs on
how this statement relates to what you have learned about Bradbury’s
life.

9
2. Write one page about a book that opened new doors for you. If a book
had a profound impact, explain why. If the book was pleasurable,
explain in detail what kind of pleasure was experienced. Present your
books, ideas, and conclusions to the class.

3. Write a letter to Captain Beatty responding to his ideas about

education and his charge that “a book is a loaded gun.” Do you agree
or disagree with his ideas? In the letter, you should explain your own
ideas about education and the value of books.

4. You have examined many dimensions of the protagonist by exploring

secondary characters. Write on the character you believe to be the
antagonist. Why is this character opposed to Montag? How does this
character force him to reevaluate himself? Use passages from the text
to support your conclusions.

5. Write about a conflict in our world. You should explain the details of this
conflict. Then, develop a symbol to capture its complexity.
6. Imagine a sequel to Fahrenheit 451. Outline the sequel. What would
the beginning, middle, and end of the sequel look like? Then write the
plot for the sequel.

7. If you were the voice of your generation, what would be your most
important message? Why might you choose to convey this in a novel
rather than a speech or an essay? What story would you tell to get your
point across? Write an essay to discuss your ideas.

10