"Books bombarded Montag's shoulders, his arms, his upturned face. A book landed, almost obediently, like a white pigeon, in his hands, wings fluttering. In the dim wavering light a page hung open and it was like a snowy feather, the words delicately painted thereon. In all the rush and fervor, Montag had only an instant to read a line, but it blazed as if stamped there with fiery steel.
And then Montag's hand closed like a mouth, crushed the book with wild devotion, with an insanity of mindlessness to his chest. Montag had done nothing. his hand had done it all...his hand, with a brain of its own, with a conscience and a curiosity in each trembling finger, had turned thief.
Montag knew it was madness, suicide -- but it was also a beginning!"
The unique description provided in that passage really hooked the reader. I really was able to vividly picture Montag standing in a fire holding that book. That passage was what informed the reader of the spark that was in his mind that started the whole book. Bradbury's personification of the book really provided a clear picture. The opening passage of a book really is the most important part. If a book has a bad beginning, no one will read to find out if it has a great ending. The passage treated the books as if they were illegal, which they were, and it really brought out that reading the books was a crime. It says that Montag's hand had a mind of its own, and while that is not possible, it really hooks the reader. It shows that there is something different about Montag, and it gives the reader something to read for.
Bradbury, Ray. Fahrenheit 451. New York: Ballantine, 1953. Print.
No comments:
Post a Comment