Bradbury’s prose is overflowing with symbols and Fahrenheit 415 is not an exception.
Fire – a destructive force at the beginning, a tool of reinforcement and punishment, accompanied by night, black uniforms of firemen and smell of kerosene. At the end of the novel Bradbury gives another interpretation of fire, as a source of warmth, comfort and light.
Phoenix – the symbol of rebirth from ashes, used as emblem of firemen and later mentioned by Granger when he states his view of a man capable to learn from his mistakes.
Mechanical Hound – a combined symbol. This robotic device is a perfect killing machine, but it is made in a shape of a dog, the best friend of a man. Dogs are good at protection and finding victims of natural and anthropogenic disasters, so the Mechanical Hound serves as a symbol of distorted dystopian world of Fahrenheit 451.
Books – the symbol of knowledge, wisdom and intellectualism. The list of forbidden books that should be destroyed along with all their owner’s property includes all classic and high-quality literature, thus dooming the depicted society for ignorance and lack of spirituality.
Black color – represents the darkness in general, the darkness of souls, minds and intentions. It is the color of night, when most calls are received by firemen, it is the color of their uniform, even their hair is black and skin has a tint of this color, giving the reader a grim image of the whole world of Fahrenheit 451.
