Part 1: Summary and Analysis

The characters in the novel are depicted as both desirable and undesirable people. A few weak ones are interspersed among them. Faber and Montag who share similar qualities are featured as one set of characters. Clarissa stands apart for her goodness and naiveté. Mildred is a character who is in complete contrast to the liveliness of Clarissa. Beatty is a foil to Faber and Montag. The myriad characters are so set that they provide a variegated picture illustrating the equilibrium of opposites.

Montag enjoys his job of burning books. Once, while returning home after burning books, he runs into Clarissa McClellan. She is his neighbor, aged seventeen. She tells him that earlier firemen used to extinguish fires and not start them. Her views leave Montag confused. She describes the way in which her family members gather and spend time talking. She enquires if he is happy.

On reaching home, Montag finds Mildred, his wife, has taken an overdose of sedatives and calls the emergency service. He is disturbed to see the indifference and detachment with which the two medics treat Mildred. The medics tell Montag that machines are now available to treat people because many people need their service.

Mildred is saved, and she claims not to have taken the sedatives. Montag is unable to stop thinking about Clarissa and her family. He meets Clarissa again when she is walking in the rain. His interaction with her forces him to think. She tells him about her long walks during which she observes nature. She also remarks that his profession as a fireman does not suit his nature.

Montag returns to the firehouse. He has a secret and is, therefore, uncomfortable to have the Mechanical Hound around; the Hound is programmed to ferret out its target.

Clarissa meets Montag nearly every day and speaks to him about nature. One day, she just disappears. Meanwhile, Montag is alerted about a house containing an illegal stockpile of books. The owner of the books, Mrs. Blake, chooses to burn herself with the books. Montag is upset by the tragedy, yet filches a book from the burning house.

Mildred casually informs Montag that Clarissa was fatally knocked down by a car four days ago. Sometime later, Montag is very troubled about the repercussions of his profession and makes excuses to avoid work. The memory of Mrs. Blake burning herself with the books haunts Montag. The chief fireman, Beatty, asks Montag about his absence and gives him the background of the burning of books. Since the beginning of the civil war, invasions have included even mass media channels such as radio, cinema and photography. Books are abbreviated to maintain their charm. Everything is truncated: “School was shortened, discipline, relaxed, philosophies, histories, languages dropped, English and spelling gradually neglected, finally almost completely ignored” (55). To save people from the burden of thinking, sports and entertainment are promoted. Cars have to speed up; walking is undesirable.

The other issue with books is that they are bulky, making people go through the painful process of thinking. Besides, they are also unspecific, and do include all the varieties of minorities (such as merchants, pet lovers, lawyers, doctors, Mormons, chiefs, Brooklynites, people from Oregon and Mexico). Therefore, booksellers find this business unprofitable. Lastly, books inform people about unpleasant matters such as death and disease, and leave them disturbed and troubled. Since gaining sensual pleasure is the prime aim of society, it would be better to burn books than allow them to torment people. Owing to these reasons, the new government, influenced by mass culture and technology, orders for the burning of books. Only trade journals, comics and three-dimensional sex magazines are allowed to be circulated.

Since sports and entertainment were given more importance than academics, “intellectuals” came to be seen with contempt. The constitution of the USA declares that all citizens are born equal, but differences in IQ created hierarchy. Book-burning was instituted to keep the profession of firefighting relevant, which had become redundant because all citizens were fireproof. Montag, who is afireman, was accorded this coveted post.“intellectuals” came to be seen with contempt. The constitution of the USA declares that all citizens are born equal, but differences in IQ created hierarchy. Book-burning was instituted to keep the profession of firefighting relevant, which had become redundant because all citizens were fireproof. Montag, who is a fireman, was accorded this coveted post.

Meanwhile, Mildred finds out that Montag has hidden a book under his pillow. Beatty tells Montag that firemen are supposed to hand over stolen books within twenty-four hours. Later, Montag informs Mildred that he has concealed about twenty books behind the ventilator. He starts reading one of the books to her.