Conflict In Fahrenheit 451

Can you imagine a society in which firemen burn houses down, rather than save people from fires? Now imagine that the houses are fire proof and that it is the job of the firemen to burn books. In the science fiction novel Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury describes Montag’s struggle to find himself in an oppressive and hostile society. Books are burned by firemen in this society, because they are outlawed since they cause disagreements among people, and heaven forbid, cause them to think. Montag is at peace with himself, burning books and homes, until a young girl plants the seeds of self-doubt in his mind. The protagonist is in conflict with himself about the morality of what he does for a living and must dig deep within himself to find the right
The stress of the situation made him appear old and frail, “then his eyes touched on the book under Montag’s arm and he did not look so old anymore and not quite as fragile. Slowly, his fear went” (Bradbury 76). How ironic that in a society that shuns religion or any symbols of God, the Bible proves to be the item that opens the door further for Montag to assess his deepest feelings. Faber agrees to help in exchange for keeping this last known copy of the bible. Faber’s help propels Montag towards his full self-discovery. Mildred is another character who helps in the process, although from a negative perspective. She is a picture perfect example of everything that is wrong with this society. She kicks a book and yells: “books aren’t people. You read and I look all around, but there isn’t anybody!” (Bradbury 69). Her disdain for books is not the only contribution she makes, her comments about family really open Montag’s eyes to the reality of this society’s artificiality. Referring to the television screens and the characters on it, Mildred says: “My family is people. They tell me things; I laugh, they laugh! And the colors” (Bradbury 69). During this encounter, Montag realizes that his own wife does not consider him a part of his family. Strangely enough, this frees Montag from any attachment to his present way of life and he feels unencumbered to pursue to his final