In Fahrenheit 451, what is the meaning of snakes? Where else does this symbol appear?

In the opening scene of the novel, Bradbury likens a fire hose to a "great python" that is spitting "venomous kerosene" while Montag burns someone's illegal book collection. Later on, the image of an "orange snake" is sewn onto the sleeve of Captain Beatty's uniform. In both instances, snakes are associated with the destructive, malevolent fireman institution, which censors literature by burning books. Therefore, the snakes in both examples symbolically represent the destructive nature of the fireman institution in Bradbury's dystopian society, which is a debased, harmful organization on a sinister mission.
Montag also compares a "black cobra" to the machine that the two callous medical technicians use to pump Mildred's stomach. The image of a venomous snake symbolically represents the dangers of technology and relates to how advanced technologies completely consume the culture of Bradbury's dystopian society. The "black cobra" leaves Mildred's stomach empty and replaces the blood in her veins, which symbolically represents the dependence and overconsumption of technology by citizens living in the dystopian society.

In Fahrenheit 451, Bradbury uses the snake as a symbol of censorship and control because of its association with the firemen. Montag describes the firehose as a "spitting python," for example, and the image of a snake is sewn onto the sleeve of the fireman's uniform, as we see through the description of Captain Beatty.
The snake also appears as a symbol when Mildred overdoses in Part One. In this example, Montag likens the stomach pump to a "hungry" snake which feeds off of his wife. By using the symbol in this way, Bradbury changes its symbolic meaning. Now, it represents the potential dangers of our over-reliance on technology. The fact that it makes Mildred feel "empty," for example, suggests that the more technology we adopt in our daily lives, the emptier we will feel. We will also become increasingly dehumanized, just like the men who operate the stomach pump and appear to feel no empathy or compassion towards Mildred.