“‘But remember that the Captain belongs to the most dangerous enemy to truth and freedom, the solid unmoving cattle of the majority. Oh, God, the terrible tyranny of the majority’ “
Faber
This quote is presenting a dramatic contrast between Montag and Beatty. Beatty has the majority on his side, the entire society is against truth and freedom even if they do not recognize it. While in contrast, Montag is completely by himself except for Faber, in their fight against book burning.
“Is it because we’re having so much fun at home that we’ve forgotten the world? Is it because we’re rich and the rest of the world’s so poor and we just don’t care if they are? I’ve heard rumors; the world is starving, but we’re all fed. Is it true, the world works hard and we play? Is that why we’re hated so much?”
Montag
Directed at Mildred
This quote would outline the character state of mind of awareness. In contrast to Montag’s first appearance and his first conversations with Clarisse, we can see a lot of character development. This quote is important because it shows how reading has affected Montag. We can see him thinking and being aware of the society he is in. He is finally asking questions about the world and doesn’t follow anyone around. This quote also provides further insight into the society in which Montag lives. This quote shows how the world around Montag is consumed by entertainment and is oblivious to the events unfolding around them. This quote is an extensive explanation to display how Montag’s society and their carelessness about the world around them. Finally, this quote ties back into the theme, ignorance is bliss. Montag’s environment is designed to be fast-paced and contain entertainment. Throughout the book, we have seen the people in Montag’s world and how they act. They choose to be ignorant and entertained rather than actually think. This quote ties into the theme because it shows the dangers of ignorance. Mildred isn’t aware that they are the lucky ones or that the world is starving. Mildred didn’t even know there was a war happening, which resulted in her death. In conclusion, this quote shows Montag’s development, the state of society and the dangers of ignorance.
” ‘And I thought about books. And for the first time I realized that a man was behind each one of the books’ “
Montag
Montag gains an awareness for the backstory and importance of the books when he says this quote. He realised that behind each book, which everyone in society sees as pages and words that have no meaning, have a man behind each one. There’s a man that takes time to illustrate each book and create meaning behind it, and nobody in society sees this and just resorts to burning every single one. This was also thought that caused Montag to have more sympathy and thoughts for books and he started trying to save/read them.
‘Cram them full of noncombustible data, chock them so damned full of ‘facts’ they feel stuffed, but absolutely ‘brilliant’ with information. Then they’ll feel they’re thinking, they’ll get a sense of motion without moving. And they’ll be happy, because facts of that sort don’t change. Don’t give them any slippery stuff like philosophy or sociology to tie things up with. That way lies melancholy.’”
Captain Beatty
When he says this, Montag realises just how far into this lie society is. Many have been raised to believe that actually reading and gaining knowledge is bad, but the ‘“facts” they’ve been given from their programs and advertisements are what makes them smart. Beatty says that people did this to themselves, banning books, because they didn’t want to bother themselves with things that were too difficult to comprehend. This was like a wake-up call for Montag, where he finally noticed why society didn’t care for book, or even wonder why they were banned.
‘Books were only one type of receptacle where we stored a lot of things we were afraid we might forget. There is nothing magical in them, at all. The magic is only in what books say, how they stitched the patches of the universe together into one garment for us.’”
Faber
He is unromanticizing books, saying they were only used to store things we didnt want to forget and they aren’t important. The magic isnt the book but the words and wisdom in it. Society isnt afraid/hate the book they hate the “magic” on the inside and they were what got society up to a point, learning points etc.
“‘Remember, the firemen are rarely necessary. The public itself stopped reading of its own accord.’”
Faber
This quote demonstrates the theme of the dangers of ignorance. The quote is indicating that the firemen aren’t usually needed in their society because the people don’t even want to read books. This makes their society apathetic and ignorant to major issues.
“He was not happy. He was not happy. He said the words to himself. He recognized this as the true state of affairs. He wore his happiness like a mask and the girl had run off across the lawn with the mask and there was no way of going to knock on her door and ask for it back.”
Montag
This is a key moment where Montag has a moment of emotional awareness, the moment where Montag begins to realize that he is not happy in the life he is living and begins to question the world around him, if anyone is happy, and if he could really change. This is also a moment where the reader understands the significance of Clarisse’s connection to Montag, and how she was the one who helped him to look at the world around him. This is shown through a simile.
“‘We need not to be let alone. We need to be really bothered once in a while. How long is it since you were really bothered? About something important, about something real?’”
Montag
Montag was having a conversation with his wife, Mildred, about books and how it takes the writer years to write them but firefighters just go around and burn them in seconds as if it were nothing. This quotation is significant as Montag is trying to explain that instead of just being glued to the parlor and seashells in our ears, we should also be bothered about something real.
“That’s my family”
Mildred
The Literary Significance of this quote is that it reveals a character’s, Mildred’s, main personality nature, and how the only thing she’ll ever really have some form of connection to is the parlor walls. This represents her depression and how she could never feel any emotional significance to anything other than the mindless screens, which mirrors her own meaningless life.
“You’re afraid of making mistakes. Don’t be. Mistakes can be profited from…If you hide
your ignorance, no one will hit you and you’ll never learn.”
Faber
This is significant to the book because it shows that people are afraid to make mistakes because they are afraid that they’ll be embarrassed, or get in trouble but mistakes are to be profited from because you’ll never learn without them. This reveals that their society likes to just be right all of the time and is ignorant about topics because it’s hard to be wrong and hard to talk about hard things. But, mistakes are important for people to learn, but people in this society don’t like to learn so everybody just does the same things and nobody is ever wrong. Everyone wants to conform, and nobody wants to stand out and ask hard questions so this ties into the theme of conformity in the book. Everyone wants to do the same things.
“‘The books are to remind us what asses and fools we are.’”
Faber
Faber states this quotes because he’s getting you to think about yourself, your life, and how to change it. The books are used to teach you about human nature and how you react to it. It makes you reflect on yourself to become a better person and exposes you to how humans really act and how the world sees our current society. They are used to provide knowledge and a pathway to change the way you think.
“It’s a lot of funnels and a lot of water poured down the spout and out the bottom, and them telling us it’s wine when it’s not.”
Clarisse
This quote from the texts means that Clarisse thinks that education is false, and that the school system just fills students up with meaningless knowledge and pretend it is valuable. This reveals Csome of the social norms with noone really wanting to learn or do anything other than be entertained. This also reveals to us parts of Clarisse’s character showing her beliefs and awareness of the world
“Have you seen the two-hundred foot billboards in the country beyond town? Did you know that once billboards were only twenty feet long? But cars started rushing by so quickly they had to stretch the advertising out so it would last?” (7)
Clarisse
Directed at Montag
This quote shows how much differently things have changed in the book compared to the real world to resolve issues.
Instead of doing things to slow down the cars when they started going faster over time such as improved road laws, they instead chose to prioritise the billboards and the advertisements.
This is a stark difference compared to the real world, focusing more on the technology and entertainment side of things rather than the safety of others on the road.
