An example of a symbol is fire, at first used for destructive purposes by the dystopian society described. The job of "firemen" has been twisted to embody the opposite of what it once was - instead of putting out fires to save lives, firemen now use fire to burn books, stamping out the freedom of thought books represent. Later, the symbol of fire takes on a positive connotation - to warm the fugitive "book people", who, like the mythical Phoenix, will rise from the ashes of destruction by fire to renew their spoiled society.
The author uses hyperbole in an especially effective manner in Beatty's explanation of the history of firefighting. He describes the decline of appreciation of the classics with delightful exaggeration, expounding,
"Classics cut to fit fifteen-minute radio shows, then cut again to fill a two-minute book column, winding up at last as a ten-or-twelve-line dictionary resume" (Part I).
Mildred's conversation is peppered with understatement, reflecting her perpetually vague, anesthetized state which is the result of being so sucked in by mass media entertainment and easy access to drugs. After spending the night having her stomach pumped because she had overdosed on pills, Mildred, who has no recollection of what had happened, comments in the morning with a mildly puzzled manner,
"Didn't sleep well. Feel terrible...did we have a wild party or something?" (Part I).
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