Literary Essay Example: Fahrenheit 451 Structure Analysis

Any good work of literature must always have a plot that drags the reader into understanding the development of the story. Every story structure has a basic list of ingredients, and these are known as dramatic arcs which are parts of the story. These parts include exposition, rising action, climax, falling action and resolution also known as denouement. The role of this structure is to help writers organize their ideas when describing the plot of the story. Fahrenheit 451 utilizes these different parts of the arcs of storytelling to achieve a perfect plot or development of the protagonist Montag.

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The exposition of the story begins when the author mentions that, "It was a pleasure to burn" (Bradbury 1). The expression at this point introduces the audience to the protagonist and at the same time highlighting significant background information. The fact that the Montag, the protagonist, finds pleasure in burning books triggers the need for the reader to understand the importance of this practice. Additionally, the statement sets the mood or tone of the novel, because books are basic needs to learning. The other element of exposition that the author achieves is using the character's thoughts while telling a back-story to introduce the readers to the setting of the book which is a dystopian society in autumn (Bradbury 3). The author introduces the readers to the conflict as well when he explains that the story is set in the future where owning books is illegal.

The next is act is rising action which helps in building up the conflict to the point of most significant interest. It usually entails the actions that immediately follows exposition. The author successfully uses this element in building up the conflict by introducing Clarisse who asks Montag if he is happy with his work, and elaborating it further when Mildred sets herself and her books on fire that causes Montag to hide a book in his house. It is in these series of events that Montag starts to doubt himself and his practices of taking part in burning. He starts to feel like he has an identity crisis. Montag begins to give serious thoughts to the question asked by Clarisse when she goes missing (Bradbury 29). Montag understands that his wife is not happy either. Montag thoughts worsen when he witnesses an old woman choosing to burn with her books instead of losing them (Bradbury 37). The protagonist's inner conflict causes him to get sick w he gets visited by his supervisor Captain Beatty who suspects that Montag has stolen and kept a book. Captain Beatty tries convincing Montag that books are evil to the society (Bradbury 50). The conflict causes Montag to start reading (Bradbury 65), after which he seeks out Professor Faber in the hopes that he can understand literature.

The climax of the story usually is the turning point that alters the fate of the protagonist. In this part, if things are going right in the life of the character, the plot starts unfolding against his or her favor. The climax in Fahrenheit 451 happens when the firemen answer the alarm, and it hits Montag that it is his house that is burning on that day (Bradbury 106). The protagonist's boss reveals that it is Montag's wife that had turned him in by selecting to preserve her life over the loyalty to the husband (Bradbury 111). Once Montag burns down his home as per the instructions of the boss, the boss hits him on the head and dislodges the earbud that Montag has been using in communicating with professor Faber (Bradbury 112). Captain Beatty swears to hunt down Faber. The author uses Beatty as Montag's nemesis in the story.

The falling action happens when the conflict unravels with the main character either winning or losing against the antagonist. The falling action in this novel occurs when the idea of catching down Faber pissed off Montag and turns the hose to his nemesis and burns Beatty to death. Montag then runs away from the Mechanical Hound and the authorities and heads to the countryside. The play here reveals that antagonist of the story is dead and the plot of the story is filled with suspense. It is at this point that he meets a group of intellectuals such as Granger and they make a decision to rebuild the society.

Resolution consists of actions at the end of the falling action and highlights typically the end of the story where there is the creation of normality for the characters. The novel resolutions start when Montag meets the Granger and his friends who teach him. He comes to learn that all these men have books in their heads as they used their minds to store the information of the burned books (Bradbury 144). These individuals teach him how to recite the books as well in hopes that he would reproduce the written works one day. Montag later in rebuilds a literate civilization.

Fahrenheit 451 is a significant work of literature as it portrays the results of society without knowledge. The author of the book uses all the necessary steps of a narrative structure to develop an excellent plot of the book.

Work Cited

Bradbury, Ray. Fahrenheit 451. Amsterdam, Lebowski Publishers, 2017,.