Bradbury describes Clarisse herself with adjectives derived from nature. “Her face as bright as snow in the moonlight…Her eyes, suspended in two shining drops of bright water...Her eyes were two miraculous drops of violet amber…Her face, turned to him now, was fragile milk crystal.” (11) She is portrayed almost as if a dream, with distinct and improbable features. Between descriptions of her demeanor and her appearance, Bradbury seems to cast her as a fairy or an angel. She appears at points in the novel when nature is of paramount importance, usually to give Montag her input on the situation. Clarisse is startling, child-like and ethereal, all of which stir Montag’s imagination.
Throughout Fahrenheit 451, Bradbury uses character quotes, metaphors and similes from nature to describe various aspects of his society’s technological presence. In Faber’s commentary on the danger of complacency and ignorance he says, “I remember the newspapers dying like huge moths.” (91) This is a perfect example of Bradbury’s emphasis of nature through character quotes. Bradbury also uses descriptions from nature from his authorial omniscient perspective. One example of this phenomenon is; “The little mosquito-delicate dancing hum in the air, the electrical humming of a hidden wasp snug in its special pink warm nest.” (15) The sounds of nature can also be interpreted as a sort of aural imagery; since this novel was written in a technologically bygone era, the references to an actual presence from this cybernetically vestigial time may have helped Bradbury’s readers comprehend his novel in 1953. Whether for symbolic emphasis or sensory comprehension, the continual references to nature in Fahrenheit 451 add to the story with their vividness and surrealism.
At the conclusion of Fahrenheit 451, Montag witnesses the destruction of his city, and its rebirth is inferred. This scene takes place in a serene forest, among scholars who appreciate knowledge and nature. Through author commentary as well as plot, Bradbury brings the novel to the end on the idea that nature the fate of humanity had turned, with nature as its axis, and the evolution of Montag and his society was complete. The feeling of peace is expressed in this quote:
“In the trees, the birds that had flown away quickly now came back and settled down.” (166) The symbolism of nature provides a certain air of finality. In this symbol alone, it is apparent that the cycle is complete. The entire society has suffered until its tolerance destroyed it, and now it must rise like the mythical Phoenix from the ashes of its self-destruction and derive something of worth from their errors.
The final scene concludes the natural progression of nature as a symbol in Fahrenheit 451. Nature inspires Montag at the novel’s exposition, occurs to him throughout the novel, and is given to him upon its resolution. Though not an obvious symbol, nature is a constant throughout Fahrenheit 451, as it is today on earth. Even in the grandest metropolises, wildflowers emerge from the “buckling sidewalk” (9), perhaps to inspire those few people who will truly change the world. Because of the consequences of a cybernetic society as displayed in Fahrenheit 451, it would be logical to take an anti-technology sentiment from this novel. Subliminally, however, Bradbury allows readers to derive an alternate meaning from Fahrenheit 451. As long as nature remains to stir human consciousness, it is feasible that humanity may remain more powerful than its cybernetic armies. It is still not a futile act to rage against the dying of the light.
