Nothing is the same, not even identical twins. Everyone should be individual and think for themselves, regardless of the outcome. In Fahrenheit 451, and “All Summer in a Day,” Ray Bradbury develops a strong perspective about human nature. Bradbury develops this perspective through figurative language and dialogue, which are intended to make the reader consider the harsh actions society takes when individuals differ from the norm.
First, Ray Bradbury develops the theme of human nature in Fahrenheit 451 with figurative language and dialogue. For example, “‘You ask Why to a lot of things and you wind up very unhappy indeed, if you keep at it. The poor girl’s better off dead,” . Special people, like Montag, are treated differently than the rest of society. In this case, Clarisse was terminated because of her uniqueness. By eliminating those who question, the government is able to manipulate & brainwash its citizens. Bradbury uses dialogue to show a variety of views on the topic. Using it shows how Beatty is sided with the government and why he believes in what they do. If someone else were to say what he had said, it could be perceived differently by the reader. Beatty and the society don’t like people who don’t conform to their standards. The dialogue adds to the impact of the quote.
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In addition, Bradbury writes in Fahrenheit 451, “‘You think you can walk on water with your books. Well, the world can get by just fine without them. Look where they got you, in slime up to your lip. If I stir the slime with my little finger, you’ll drown!’”. Beatty tries to tell Montag he thinks he is special because he has books that give him knowledge. He is different than the status quo which is to avoid books. The human nature for a person in this society is to call out the individual. Beatty is warning him of the government’s actions. They will make it hard for him to spread his knowledge of the books. Bradbury incorporates an allusion & a metaphor to show how the government goes out of its way to make an individual’s life harder. The allusion of walking on water refers to the biblical story of how Jesus walked on water. Many were shocked to see Jesus walking on water, just how many were to see Montag with a book- especially since he was a fireman. The government will do everything to trap Montag, hence, the metaphor of slime. It’s sticky and messy, just how Montag’s situation is. The figurative language used gives an extensive elaboration on the treatments the society gives to a person. The figurative language gives visuals to what’s happening in the story.
Likewise, Ray Bradbury continues to develop the theme of human nature with figurative language and dialogue in “All Summer in a Day.” For instance, “But Margot remembered. ‘It’s like a penny,’ she said once, eyes closed. ‘No it’s not!’ the children cried. ‘It’s like a fire’ she said, ‘in the stove.’ ‘You’re lying, you don’t remember!’ cried the children. But she remembered and stood quietly apart from all of them and watched the patterning window”. The other children are treating her poorly because they haven’t seen the sun for a long time. Margot sticks out from the crowd because of this and is being “bullied” by them. Their instinct is to make her feel peculiar because she has something they don’t. Bradbury adds dialogue and a simile to the text in order for describing what Margot was going through. Since the other children were rebutting her comments, it shows how she was being treated poorly by the majority, the society. It was their instinct to automatically ostracize Margot and for them to be satisfied with them being “right.” The children’s dialogue shows how everyone was being terrible to Margot. It emphasizes on how society is harsh to those who are unalike from them.
To add on, in “All Summer in a Day,” it states, “They stood as if someone had driven them, like so many stakes, into the floor. They looked at each other and then looked away… They could not meet each other’s glances. Their faces were solemn and pale. They looked at their hands and feet, their faces down”. Margot is different which causes the other children to be jealous of her since she has memories of the sun. They lock her up because their human nature is to eliminate those who aren’t like you. The children realize what they have done and begin to feel remorse. Bradbury uses past figurative language to use a simile to demonstrate how the children feel. He called the children, “The children pressed to each other like so many roses, so many weeds”. They are alike and intermixed with each other, just how roses and weeds grow. He then compares them grounded into the floor. Their feelings are bringing their spirits down after experiencing the sun. This shows how the children feel guilty after their human nature was to act in defense and lock up Margot. The comparison of the children tied down shows how they acted out and feel guilty.
Moreover, Bradbury chose to use different types of author’s craft to develop the theme of human nature. Bradbury chose to use different types of author’s craft to have multiple ways of conveying human nature topics. If Bradbury were to use symbolism, it would give the reader something to think about. Whereas figurative language is more imaginative while symbolism represents significant things or events. Bradbury hopes the readers are able to catch on to his crafty language, analogies, and dialogue. Figurative language gives extensive and things to imagine. It adds more beef to the meaning. Author’s craft deepens the meaning of the text and adds more complexity.
In conclusion, Ray Bradbury uses dialogue and figurative language to show how our human nature is to ostracize those who are different. If our natural instinct is to eliminate those who are different, then what are we, clones of each other? We need diversity, differences, uniqueness in our world. Our differences can create a bigger impact.
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