Ray Bradbury is a very poetic writer who uses many different images throughout his novel both as symbols of greater meaning, and as tools to create more descriptive images and scenes. In the opening pages of "Fahrenheit 451," Bradbury describes a scene in which Montag is burning books, with great pleasure and enjoyment. To Montag, these books are merely empty objects--they don't possess any meaning or value whatsoever. However, one of the main themes of Bradbury's writing in this novel is that books DO have meaning, they ARE valuable, and the are incredibly necessary for the world to have thinking, happy, fulfilled people. So, when Bradbury compares the books to birds in phrases like this, "the flapping, pigeon-winged books died," it transforms the books from cold objects to beautifully alive birds, whose death is tragic and disturbing. He uses the bird analogy throughout the entire novel; later, he describes one as a "white pigeon...wings fluttering" and the page as a "snowy feather." In describing the books as such, Bradbury is symbolizing how books are indeed alive, they are precious, beautiful things, and how burning them is as much of a crime as burning living creatures would be.
Besides the symbolic underlay of using birds as books in order represent their value, it is simply poetic. He uses a metaphor, comparing them to birds, and it brings to mind images of fluttering wings, of a great fire filled with the beating of wings. It is a much more descriptive way to paint the scene than just stating "and the books burned." It's good writing.
I hope that those thoughts helped a bit; good luck!
No comments:
Post a Comment