Who has read Fahrenheit 451?

Help! I really don’t understand who these “relatives” are or these “family” members who are always shouting in the parlor or walls . Are they fictional T.v show characters? or are they really Mildred’s family? that is just plain wierd. And are there tv screens on their four white walls of the house? I also don’t understand the part where Faber is answering Montag’s question about what is really missing in his life or their life in general. Faber says “You’re a hopless romantic. it would be funny if it were not serious. it’s not books you need, it’s some of the things that once were in books. The same things that could be in ‘the parlor famialies’ today.” Also when he says “we are living in a time where flowers are trying to live on flowers instead of growing on good rain and black loam” ??? what the heck?

sorry just one more “even fireworks, for all their prettiness, come from the earth… yet somehow we think we can grow, feeding on flowers and fireworks, without completing the cycle back to reality” huh? what does this imply

Just reading for fun and it bothers me not to understand parts fully. Excellent book though. Thanks for your help;)

Answer #1

bleh! had to read that accursed book for 10th grade honor English. Hated it.

Answer #2

I had to read it for my 10th grade English cass online a few years ago. Type a bit more so I might be able to help interprete them for you.Its been awhile As for flowers growing on flwers. people keep dreaming and building dreams on dreams. Trying to bring about someing tangiable of a dream. Everything is candy coated.

Answer #3

ok. this is one of my favorite pieces of literature ever:) ok, the “relatives” are like a TV show. but it’s interactive. you take part in the story. you have lines to say and the “relatives” reply. It’s a substitute for real human interaction. this way the government can control even you conversations because they control the program that is the “relatives”. so what Faber means is that books used to put ideas into our head and help us think and feel and expand our minds but now to TV has replaced that. the parlor families are the same as the relatives. now the flowers thing. this is a bit more complicated. Flowers need certain things to grow properly right? soil water and sunlight and other flowers. (loam = soil) well people need things to grow properly too. food, shelter, human interaction and the big one, NEW ideas. so a flower can’t grow if theirs no soil no matter how many flowers you put there they still need soil. in the same way. you can flood the humans with action but with out INTERaction their not living. not living a human life anyway. if you have more questions of need me to clarify anything I said please feel free to Fun-mail me, I love this book and love to talk about it:)

Answer #4

wow!!! theta010 I totally understand now. thankyou thankyou thankyou! I love the book too can’t seem to put it down:) of course I will email you :D thanks for offering. I had a feeling thats what the relatives were. But the flower metaphor lost me lol. thanks again. you explained it extremely well.

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