In Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, irony is used to convey information and contributes to the overall theme of the novel. Written during the era of McCarthyism, Fahrenheit 451 is about a society where books are illegal. This society believes that being intellectual is bad and that many things that are easily accessible today should be censored. The overall message of the book is that censorship is not beneficial to society and could seriously harm a person's intelligence and social abilities. An analysis of irony in Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury shows that this literary technique is effective in contributing to the overall theme of the novel because it gives more than one perspective on how censorship can negatively affect a society. Bradbury uses irony at the beginning of Part 3, Burning Bright, to show that Beaty's own advice is used against him to kill him with a flamethrower. This is effective because it shows that a character who was once a completely docile citizen had begun to question why certain things, like literature, were kept away from society. “[Fire is] a perpetual movement; the thing that man wanted to invent but never did... It's a mystery... Its real beauty is that it destroys responsibility and consequences... cleanly, quickly, of course; nothing to rot later. Antibiotic, aesthetic, practical” (Bradbury 115). At the start of Part 3, Burning Bright, Beaty explains to Montag why fire is the best way to cause destruction without causing damage. Unfortunately, Montag hates Beaty to the point of wanting to kill him and, with a sadistic touch, uses Beaty's own wisdom to kill him with the flames. This ties into the overall theme, because when too many things are censored and destroyed, then someone I...... middle of paper ......thisIn conclusion, Bradbury uses irony throughout Fahrenheit 451 to convey more information on important topics. themes of the novel. This is effective because it shows that a society will learn to practice what it preaches and accidentally hurt itself or others. Its citizens do not have the freedom to explore their emotions and abilities. Additionally, it is possible that Bradbury used a line of dialogue from Clarisse to mock the way McCarthy made people live in fear of being arrested or accused of being a communist. Finally, Bradbury uses Mildred as a character to have an example of the many deficiencies that could be caused by a controlling government with too many things censored. This shows that Bradbury knew how to use irony to make his ideas more meaningful and to help emphasize the main themes of Fahrenheit 451. Works CitedFahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury