What argument does Faber make for books?

The classic science fiction novel Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury tells of a dystopian society in which firemen burn books instead of putting out fires. At first the fireman Guy Montag seems enthusiastic about his job, but it turns out that he has had doubts and has been surreptitiously taking books and hiding them for some time. When he confides in his wife, Mildred, she is unsympathetic. Montag then seeks out Faber, a retired English professor that he met by chance in a park.

When Montag visits, at first Faber is suspicious, but then he sees the book that Montag has brought. It's a copy of the Bible. Faber says that he loves the smell of books and that "there were a lot of lovely books once, before we let them go." He says that books have no magic in themselves.


The magic is only in what books say, how they stitched the patches of the universe together into one garment for us.


Faber goes on to explain that books have quality and details, saying "The good writers touch life often." He uses the metaphor that books "show the pores in the face of life." However, Faber adds that the things that prevent people from benefiting from books are the absence of leisure to absorb quality information and the right to carry out actions based upon what they read in books.

In Part Two, Montag visits Faber's home in the hopes that Faber will teach him how to comprehend the various texts that he has been reading. Faber calls Montag a "hopeless romantic" and proceeds to make an argument about why literature is valuable. Faber begins by telling Montag that books have quality and provide an in-depth description of life, which can be closely analyzed and examined. Faber then explains to Montag that books provide necessary leisure time. In a society where media is so prevalent and entertainment is constant, books allow individuals time to unwind, collect their thoughts, and relax. The third argument that Faber presents is that books provide the necessary information and motivation for individuals to act on what they've learned through reading. Faber explains to Montag that books can have a tremendous influence on people, and encouraged readers can take action based on the information they have read. Faber is also a firm believer that preserving knowledge and spreading information can positively impact their society. He ends up helping Montag by giving him the green bullet and briefly hiding him from the authorities.