Reflections on Part One: “The Hearth and the Salamander” 1. Montag comes to learn that "firemen are rarely necessary" because "the public itself stopped reading of its own accord." Bradbury wrote his novel in 1953: To what extent has his prophecy come true today? 2. Contrast Clarisse and Mildred—how is each woman characterized? 3. Why does this woman choose to burn herself to death instead of simply leaving the house? 4. According to Beatty, why were books eventually banned? 5. Consider the leisure activities the characters in the novel do. In our society, do we do any similar activities?