Fahrenheit 451 is a dystopian novel set in the 24th century, with a society obsessed with and critically dependent on technology. This book was published in 1953, the year known as the beginning of 3 technological eras: thermonuclear weapons, stored-program computers, and modern genetics. Each of the eras listed were embodied as distorted cultural norms in Fahrenheit 451. Bradbury uses this to employ a perception of caution for the reader in terms of reality. The main theme of the novel is the conflict between freedom of thought and censorship. The protagonist, Guy Montag, has been blinded by society his entire life, until he meets Clarisse, a teenager who has just moved in next door. During their very first conversation together, Montag is immediately peppered with significant questions about his life that he laughs off even as he is deeply confused. Clarisse confronts him about this and then proceeds to ask Montag if he is happy. This question catches Montag completely off guard and he is still in shock, trying to argue that he is, as Clarisse says goodnight and goes inside. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay This is where Passage 1 picks up as Montag, now convincing himself, is walking towards his bedroom. The light tone drops completely as he describes what his room looked like. As he walks through the pitch-black room he imagines his wife Mildred, “lying on the bed, uncovered and cold, like a body exposed on a grave lid.” Not only are these strong images, which can be found throughout almost the entire novel, they are also foreshadowing. Foreshadowing comes into context when Montag discovers that Mildred is actually dying of an overdose, hence the connection to a corpse and a grave. Passage 1 provides no direct context as to why Mildred overdosed on sleeping pills, but as the reader continues through the novel, many have gotten to the point where they strongly dislike Mildred because she is just another ignorant example and superficial of society. This is an important discovery to make because as the book progresses, a change occurs from Montag and the society he was once separated from. Montag, the protagonist, now discovers that society itself and its values have become the antagonist. Imagery is used specifically in passage 1 to create an ominous tone and help the reader visualize a lifeless Mildred as described by Montag when he sees Mildred in bed “and her breathing coming in and out, softly, faintly, in and out of his nostrils." , and she didn't care whether it came or went, whether it came or went.” Another very important literary element used not only in Passage 1, but throughout the entire novel, was the use of personification. Bradbury used personification to reflect the specific emotions of the characters, to create atmosphere, and to give lifelike characteristics to inanimate objects so that they can contribute to the story. Often personification is used as irony or as a double meaning of a statement. This is depicted when Montag realizes that he is unhappy (even before seeing his wife overdose), and his attitude completely changes from a joyous confusion from Clarisse to him feeling "her smile slip away, melt, fold and fall on himself like a silky skin, like the matter of a fantastic candle that burns too long and now collapses and now goes out.” It is a personification due to the fact that smiles cannot actually slip away or melt. The personification also follows another literary element, a.
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