Fahrenheit 451 - Analysis

"Only the man with the Captain's hat and the sign of the phoenix on his hat..."(26).

The symbol of the phoenix is used by the firemen and worn by their captain on his hat. The phoenix is a bird that will catch on fire and burn to ashes when it dies. From these ashes the phoenix is reborn and lives another life. This symbol of the firemen is here to show that there will be rebirth. Montag, a fireman, changes his way of life and rises from the ashes of his former way of life of burning books. He eventually accepts that books are good and contain valuable knowledge.

Also, this allusion can be foreshadowing the death of the Captain. He, like the phoenix, dies by burning in flames. This is possibly because he could not go on with his way of life. The way he speaks, constantly quoting literature shows that books are still a part of him and that he no longer wants to destroy them.