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Symbolism in Fahrenheit 451 Light, especially fire, and darkness are significantly reoccurring themes in Fahrenheit 451. Guy Montag, the main character, is a fireman, but in this futuristic world the job description of a fireman is to start fires wherever books are found; instead of putting them out. Montag takes a journey from a literary darkness to a knowledgeable light. This journey can be compared to the short story Allegory of the Cave by Plato, in which …

…share this knowledge with others. After learning the truth of the cave, the prisoner also tries to return to the others that are held captive and free them to show them the truth. However, they only believe what their illusions, and the prisoner is ridiculed, called crazy, and exiled from the cave. This also happened to Montag when he tried to share his knowledge with others; such as his wife, her friends, and Captain Beatty.