Summary Of Fahrenheit 451 Chapter 2

Chapter 2 of Fahrenheit 451 written by, Ray Bradbury, The Sieve and the Sand, has a background meaning relating throughout the chapter of the book. A sieve being a utensil consisting of a wire or plastic mesh held in a frame, used for straining solids from liquids, for separating coarser from finer particles, or for reducing soft solids to a pulp. And then sand. The title refers to two incidents in the chapter, one being from Montag’s childhood, and another in the present.
During Montag’s childhood, he explains an incident where he was challenged by a cousin to fill a sieve with sand in exchange for a dime. As it says in the book, “Fill this sieve and you'll get a dime!" `And the faster he poured, the faster it sifted through with a hot whispering.

His hands were tired, the sand was boiling, the sieve was empty. Seated there in the midst of July, without a sound, he felt the tears move down his cheeks,” due to the sand continuing to fall through the holes of the sieve. This frustrated Montag causing him to cry. The other incident relates to his commitment to try and memorize the Bible. Though while trying to do so the Denham’s Dentifrice keeps playing. As it says in the book, “He clenched the book in his fists. Trumpets blared. "Denham's Dentifrice." Shut up, thought Montag. Consider the lilies of the field,” continuing with the jingle of the advertisement while Montag is on the train is interfering and the words fall through his memory like the sand just fell through the sieve. Just as he was as a child, Montag is frustrated with his incapability to concentrate. The world now that Montag lives in, without books has encouraged people to live for the moment. By filling the place with sounds such as, the Denham’s advertisement, people can’t concentrate and think what the world would be like with books. If people keep going and they don’t have time to stop and think, then it’s easier just to believe what anyone tells them.
In conclusion, in the current world as people don’t take the time to stop and process what is actually happening in the world. Their minds are turning into sieves causing the knowledge to just slip through, just like the sand had done in Montag’s childhood. As well as his present life when trying to memorize the Bible. Thus causing him and supporting the reason why he gets so frustrated with the knowledge and the need to tell everyone that the world needs books. Because in Bradbury’s world, the knowledge and thoughts are the sand while most everyone’s minds in society are sieves just letting it slip through not stopping and thinking about the details.