Bradbury includes references to all of these works for a number of purposes. Firstly, these allusions highlight what life in this society would be like, for all of these works that are so essential in any English Literature course and very famous in our society today, in the world of Guy Montag are illicit and unknown. It is hard to belive that stories and plays such as Hamlet and parts of the Bible are eradicated from the human memory, except for those who choose to break the law and furtively keep books.

Secondly, it would be a good idea to note who makes the majority of these illusions. Captain Beatty, ironically, is the character who has an immense knowledge of books, slipping allusions into his speech with ease, especially when needling Montag. He calls books "treacherous weapons" yet goes on to use his allusions to manipulate Montag without any mercy whatsoever.

Thirdly, it is perhaps key to note that Montag reads out "Dover Beach" by Matthew Arnold to his wife and her friends, and the emptiness of the poem, where "Ignorant armies crash by night" serves to reinforce the emptiness of the lives of Mildred and her friends, and of society in general in this novel. This allusion is therefore used to expose how poor this society is, and is something that the women realise in their response to the poem, as they are unable to face the truth.