He strode in a swarm of fireflies. This is another simile that compares the remnants of burnt books that are flying around to a swarm of fireflies, again linking the character of Montag with fire. Her face, turned to him now, was fragile milk crystal with a soft and constant light in it.

The writing style of Fahrenheit 451 is lyrical and descriptive. Bradbury’s poetic prose makes frequent use of similes, metaphors, and personification.

Montag’s metaphor describes the superficial, ignorant society by comparing Bradbury’s dystopian civilization to a cave. Bradbury uses a metaphor when Montag hears Captain Beatty’s voice in his head saying, Light the first page, light the second page. Each becomes a black butterfly.

arrogant

In the beginning of the text, we see a salamander on Montag’s badge, representing the fireman. Bradbury uses many animals to symbolize items, for example the kerosene hose is called a python. Machines like the Mechanical Hound and the Electronic-Eyed Snake also have animal names in them.

personification

A book is a loaded gun in the house next door. He is willing to defend the “equalization” of society while still remaining educated himself, and denounces the use of books as weapons while freely using them that way himself.

metaphor

What does Beatty say took the place of books in society? Shorter and shorter abbreviated novels and books.

Beatty’s explicit reason for destroying books is to maintain social order. According to Beatty, society got so overpopulated, so sensitive to insult, and so concerned with pleasure, that things which created divisions became so unwelcome as to be dangerous to social order itself.

When the firemen find the old woman still in her house at the scene of the burning, Montag shows a capacity for empathy and compassion that is uncommon in his society. First, he feels highly uncomfortable, since he usually only has to deal with the lifeless books, without human emotions getting involved.