FAHRENHEIT 451 ANNOTATIONS TV

This shows that Montag is unaware of his real motivations and that some type of unconscious force is taking over his rational, conscious self. He explains how he feels this “poison” has spread into the remainder of his body.

In this section, we see Montag describing his hands, which he says are responsible for taking the book, as infected. The argument comes to an end when the couple sees Captain Beatty approaching up the front walk. Montag tries to gain Mildred’s attention by insisting that they discuss books and asking what the last time was when something “bothered” her, but she doesn’t respond. He says that the books represent the lives and work of many people. He urges her to try to understand the feelings of guilt he feels about burning the old woman and her books. He tells Mildred what happened with the old woman and asks whether she would object if he left his job for a while. He vomits because of the lasting smell of kerosene. Mildred says that the family moved somewhere else and that she believes that Clarisse was hit by a car and is dead. He communicates to Mildred that he hasn’t come across Clarisse for four days, and he asks if she has heard what has happened to her.

FAHRENHEIT 451 ANNOTATIONS TV

He ponders her TV “family,” and thinks about its sensational images and false connections. He has a feeling of terrible emptiness and thinks that the TV walls are separating him from his wife. Montag attempts to keep track of the number of times he hears her swallow, and he wonders if she might forget and take more later.

Mildred gets out of her bed and heads to the bathroom to get some sleeping pills. He asks her to remind him of where they first met ten years earlier, but neither of them is able to remember. She talks incessantly about the TV and the “family” she finds there. While in bed, Mildred becomes very odd and seems unfamiliar to him. When Montag gets home, he conceals the book he has stolen beneath his pillow. But everyone I know is either shouting or dancing around like wild or beating up one another.From Montag and Mildred in bed to Beatty’s arrival

Or go out in the cars and race on the streets, trying to see how close you can get to lampposts, playing 'chicken' and 'knock hubcaps.' I guess I'm everything they say I am, all right. They run us so ragged by the end of the day we can't do anything but go to bed or head for a Fun Park to bully people around, break windowpanes in the Window Smasher place or wreck cars in the Car Wrecker place with the big steel ball. It's a lot of funnels and lot of water poured down the spout and out the bottom, and them telling us it's wine when it's not. But I don't think it's social to get a bunch of people together and then not let them talk, do you? An hour of TV class, an hour of basketball or baseball or running, another hour of transcription history or painting pictures, and more sports, but do you know, we never ask questions, or at least most don't they just run the answers at you, bing, bing, bing, and us sitting there for four more hours of film-teacher. 'Or talking about how strange the world is. It all depends on what you mean by social, doesn't it? Social to me means talking to you about things like this.' She rattled some chestnuts that had fallen off the tree in the front yard. “Why aren't you in school? I see you every day wandering around.'

Fahrenheit 451 annotations