Death of a Salamander

A salamander sits on a log in a fire, thinking himself invincible. While sitting, it looks around and sees some people sitting near the fireplace, talking and laughing. The salamander looks at them, disapproving, and maybe even a little jealous, before deciding he will not take this. The salamander jumps from the fire, the flames traveling with him scorching the carpet near the people, sending them into hysterics as they try to run away. As the fire quickly spreads, burning the house as the people flee, the salamander look on in satisfaction, until he discovers he's starting to feel a bit warm. The growing fire becomes extremely hot as it rages out of control, and before the salamander can get away, the fire he thought himself impervious to burns him to death. In Fahrenheit 451, Beatty’s death goes much the same way. He took everything he could from Montag, and Montag returned the favor, taking Beatty’s life. However, Beatty’s death may stand for more than just the death of Montag’s rival, which makes it and important scene in the book.

Beatty’s death could be described as the salamander dying in its own flame. He did in fact build up and create the very flame that ultimately destroyed him, but the flame that killed Beatty wasn’t just the fire of the flame thrower; it was also the raging inferno of anger he had built up inside of Montag. Beatty knew that Montag was unhappy, so he picked at it. He waved everything in front of Montag’s face, he criticized him, he taunted him every step of the way, but more than anything, Beatty was the very image of the problem Montag had had to face from the very beginning; society. Beatty was everything about society that Montag had found he disliked, so when Beatty told Montag to burn his problems, it’s no surprise that Montag turned the flamethrower on him. What is a surprise is how Beatty didn't seem too scared of being burned to death, and kept a straight face right up until Montag pulled the trigger. This may have been Beatty underestimating human emotion, which is a sub theme in the book. People in this time were out of touch with their emotions, so it would be quite easy for Beatty to overlook that part of his plan as Montag turned on the flame thrower and burned the effigy of his greatest problem.

The salamander's death by flame could also stand for events that have yet to happen, from a world view. If Beatty stood for his society, which is in fact the American society, Montag may not have stood for himself, but for the world apart from the American society. In Fahrenheit 451, the rest of the world doesn’t live in nearly as much luxury as the people of America do. If one who had very little in life suddenly had everything taken from them by one who had virtually everything, why wouldn’t they feel feel upset? The technology of the time, which is another theme in the book, would have taken this further, as people were so absorbed in their luxuries they hardly ever acknowledged the rest of the world. After all, if one has everything they need right at home, what’s the point of leaving home? It would be just like Montag and Beatty, and once you throw the fire in, the result couldn’t be anything other than war. This may mean that later in the book, society may ‘die’ in some way due to the war society itself started.

Though there are many ways it can be interpreted, no matter how one views the scene or what one sees in the symbolism, it’s quite obvious that Beatty’s death is an important point in both the book and Montag’s life. The end of Beatty also marks the end of Montag the fireman, but it also marks the beginning of a different Montag, which plays with the themes of Life and Death. In the end, Montag seems to walk away a different man, like a phoenix risen from the the ashes, figuratively and a bit literally. This wouldn’t have happened if Beatty hadn’t died, as Montag, instead of burning Beatty, would have ended up in prison, and never would have changed or learned any of the things he did afterward. Beatty’s death was indeed vital, and nothing would have been the same without it.

Beatty’s death could be interpreted in many ways; a symbol of Montag’s struggle, a foreshadowing of the the future, and as many other things. But what stands firm is the fact that Beatty’s death is more than just the death of the story’s villain. It stands for more than that, whether one sees it as a big step in Montag’s journey, or Montag the salamander becoming Montag the phoenix. There are many important things that can be learned from this equally important part of the book.