In Part
Three, the traveling intellectuals watch from a distance as the dystopian city is completely
destroyed by an atomic bomb. Before Granger, Montag, and the others begin walking towards the
ruins, Granger makes a small fire and proceeds to cook breakfast. Granger then begins talking
about a mythological bird called a Phoenix, which would burn itself up every few hundred years
before regenerating again. He goes on to say that humans have one thing that the Phoenix never
had, which is a recollection of their mistakes. Granger also mentions that he hopes one day
humans will have enough sense to stop destroying themselves and learn from their past
mistakes.
After their meal, Granger, Montag, and the other traveling
intellectuals begin walking towards the ruins with plans of building a tolerant, literate
society. Granger once again speaks about the importance of learning from humanity's past
mistakes and one day eliminating the concept of war altogether. He then comments,
"Come on now, we're going to go build a mirror-factory first
and put out nothing but mirrors for the next year and take a long look in them" (Bradbury,
157).
Granger's suggestion about building a mirror
factory emphasizes his important message concerning self-awareness and accountability. Granger
understands that humanity is solely responsible for wars, conflict, and destruction. He does not
want to help create a society where citizens refuse to look at their actions or take
accountability for their mistakes. Granger recognizes the importance of accepting responsibility
and believes that examining ourselves is an important step in cultivating a civil, tolerant
society.
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