Essay | Extinguishing the Imagination

Fire represents the extinguishing of thinking, imagining, and appreciating. Although knowledge can cause conflict, understanding of the past can prevent man from making similar errors in the present and future. Fahrenheit 451, a novel by Ray Bradbury, demonstrates a society in which all books are banned, creating a civilization that is oblivious to the past mistakes of mankind. Fire is used as a destructive tool to keep the society oblivious to their past. Fire is a false substitute for the reality of truth, which can only be found in books. The majority of the society follows the government's expectations, and does little thinking for themselves. However, a few people break the law and read books. Beatty, the fire chief, dedicates his life to burning when he can't find satisfaction in the books he reads.

The majority of the society Bradbury created viewed books as evil. Fire was used destructively to...
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