Fahrenheit 451

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1. 
   dymatsuoka

   Beatty muses on the nature of fire just before forcing Montag to destroy his own house with a flame thrower.  Gazing at the "small orange flame" on his igniter, Beatty says, "What is there about fire that's so lovely?...It's perpetual motion; the thing man wanted to invent but never did...If you let it go on, it'd burn our lifetimes out...It's a mystery.  Scientists...don't really know.  Its real beauty is that it destroys responsibility and consequences.  A problem gets too burdensome, then into the furnace with it...clean, quick, sure; nothing to rot later.  Antibiotic, aesthetic, practical". 

   Beatty sees fire as a means of eliminating that which is troublesome in life.  Ironically, a few minutes after he has heard this explanation, Montag takes it to heart and, almost unconsciously, uses the fire at his disposal to eliminate Beatty (Section 3 - "Burning Bright").

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   Posted by dymatsuoka on Monday June 30, 2008 at 5:56 AM
   
   

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