“And then, very slowly, as he walked, he tilted his head back in the rain, just for a few moments and opened his mouth…” – page 24. this shows the influence Clarissa had on mr. Montag.

PART ONE SUMMARY

• The novel starts with a scene where Montag and the other firemen are fuelling a fire

“With the brass nozzle in his fists, with this great python spitting its venomous kerosene upon the world, the blood pounded in his head, and his hands were the hands of some amazing conductor playing all the symphonies of blazing and burning to bring down the tatters and charcoal ruins of history” p1

In this quotation the firehoses that spurt kerosene are being compared to great snakes – generating a direct comparison between the destructive work of the firemen and the mythological evil of serpents

• Montag discovers his wife Mildred in bed having taken an overdose. He calls in the operators to pump her stomach and give her a blood transfusion using arcane specialised equipment. They are, apparently, having a busy night.

“Got to clean them out both ways” p15

Here, the ‘operator’ whose job it was to operate the machines that pump the stomaches of people who have attempted suicide by over-dose was shown to have an attitude more like an over-worked plumber. He was described as smoking and eager to get on to his next job.

The following day his wife, mildred did not remember

• Montag meet the new neighbour, a young girl with plenty of questions. she makes Montag question himself and his life.

“Are you happy?”   “Am I what?” p10

following this convocation he soon realises that he is not in fact happy with his life, although he is trying to tell himself he is.

Montag took a bible and is trying to memorise it before he returns it as his boss knows he took a book, he leave the town on a train to see an old professor who could help him understand the book

• Montag goes to work at the Firehouse and the mechanical dog is introduced

” The Mechanical Hound slept but did not sleep, lived but did not live in its gently humming, gently vibrating softly illuminated kennel back in a dark corner of the firehouse.” P 24

• Clarisse disappears along with the rest of her family. People say she killed herself

“and the Clarisse was gone. He didnt know what there was about the afternoon, but it was not seeing her somewhere in the world. ” P 32 “Gone?” “whole family moved out somewhere. But she’s gone for good. I think she’s dead.” “No. The same girl. McCellan McClellan. Run over by a car. Four days ago. But i think shes dead. the family moved out anyway. i dont know. but i think shes dad” P 47

• Montag attends a fire where a woman kills herself by self-immolation (setting herself alight)

“But tonight, someone had slipped. this woman was spoiling a ritual.” P 37 – this tells me that this woman that stayed in her house while it was getting lit on fire was not what was supposed to happen and usually they get taken out of the house but this time she wasn’t, she must not have seen herself living a life without her books.

• Montag steals a book and takes it home. He claims to be sick and doesn’t go to work

Montag steals a book from a house he is about to burn the books inside “Montag felt the hidden book pound like a heart against his chest” P 39   “Montag did not move, but stood looking into the  cold whiteness of the wall immediatly before him.” “Go let him in, will you? Tell him i’m sick” P 52

• Beatty visits Montag in his home and challenges him 
• Montag convinces his wife Mildred to turn of her ‘Parlour’ and read the books he has been collecting instead
• Montag visits Faber, an old English professor who shows him a two-way communication device he has been developing. He gives it to Faber

When Mildred has friends over to watch the Parlour, Montag switches it off and reads them a banned poem – One of her friends starts crying because its showing the reality that she’s been fighting all this time  “Go home and think of your first husband

• Montag then returns to the firehouse and is interrogated by Beatty 
• Montag burns his house down with a fire hose then turns the fire hose on Beatty and the mechanical dog, he is now on the run from the police and the firemen ” but remember that the caption belongs to the most dangerous enemy to truth and freedom, the solid unmoving cattle of the majority” P 104

“Go let him in, will you? Tell him i’m sick” – P 52 ” Captain Beatty sat down in the most comfortable chair with a peaceful look on his ruddy face. He took time to prepare and light his brass pipe and puffout a great smoke cloud.” “Just thought id come see how the sick man is.” – P 53

• Montag convinces his wife Mildred to turn of her ‘Parlour’ and read the books he has been collecting instead P 65

” “i’m tired of listening to this junk,” said Mildred, turning from him to the announcer again. Montag touched the volume control in the wall and the announcer was speechless.”

• Montag visits Faber, an old English professor who shows him a two-way communication device he has been developing. He gives it to Faber P 91

“Montag inserts the little green bullet in his ear. the old man inserted a similar object in his own ear and moved his lips.”

• When Mildred has friends over to watch the Parlour, Montag switches it off and reads them a banned poem – One of her friends starts crying because its showing the reality that she’s been fighting all this time “Go home and think of your first husband divorced and your second husband killed in a jet and your third husband blowing his brains out, go home and think of your dozen abortions you’ve had, go home and think of that and your damn caesarian sections, too, and your children who hate your guts!”
• Montag burns his house down with a fire hose then turns the fire hose on Beatty and the mechanical dog, he is now on the run from the police and the firemen

” but remember that the caption belongs to the most dangerous enemy to truth and freedom, the solid unmoving cattle of the majority” P 104

• Montag crossed the river and met 5 guys that had memorised books to be reprinted in later years.

“He imagined thousands on thousands of faces peering into yards, into alleys, and into the sky, faces his by curtains, pale, night-frightined faces, like gray animals peering from electric caves, faces with gray colourless eyes, gray tounges and gray thoughts look-ing out though the numb flesh of the face.” – P 139

• Aircrafts fly above and bomb the cities, Montag and the 5 guys that memorise book have escaped the bombings

“City looks like a heap of baking powder. Its gone.” “I wonder how many knew it was coming? I wonder how many were surprised?” P 163