The Hearth And The Salamander

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Section 1: The Hearth and the Salamander The beginning of the novel begins with the main character Guy Montag burning down a house. Montag uses a kerosene pack to burn down the home with the specific objective of burning all the books that are inside to ash. After Montag successfully destroys all the books and the home, he returns to the fire station. Montag, while at the station, shines his helmet, hangs his jacket and takes a shower. After a short period of time, Montag leaves the fire station to go to the subway and go home. After Montag gets off the subway and walks down the street, he walks into a girl name Clarisse McCiellan, who he later finds out during their walk to be his new neighbor. During McCiellan and Montag’s talk, they discuss his firefighter career, how long he has been a firefighter, how she is not afraid of him and if firemen put fires out instead of starting them in the past. After walking for a few streets, they reach their homes. Before McCiellan leaves, she asks Montag if he is happy. However, he is unable to respond because she leaves. Montag then enters his house and goes to his bedroom. Montag, before being able to make it to his bed, trips on an object on the floor. He uses his lighter to light his room. Then, Montag sees his wife barely alive because she has taken a bottle of sleeping pills. Montag grabs the phone and calls for medical assistance for his wife. Two men respond to the house and use two machines to pump her stomach and clean her blood. After the two men leave, Montag goes outside to the porch of McCiellan’s house. After a while, he returns to his house and goes to sleep. The next morning, Montag wakes up with his wife Mildred cooking breakfast in the kitchen. The two o... ... middle of paper ... ...ity in time. Unfortunately, Montag realizes that they are no longer there and neither is the city they all once knew. After thinking of Faber and McCiellan, he thinks about Mildred and when they first met in Chicago. Montag and the others are knocked down by the explosion. Shortly after, Montag and the others are able to stand up. The group and Montag look at what now remains of the city they came from. The men then start a small fire to make and eat breakfast. Following breakfast, they make plans to walk upstream more. The group and Montag continue their journey and Granger reminds Montag that only books are important, they as individuals are not. As the group walks down the riverside, Montag then thinks of a passage from the bible. Montag tells the group the passage and they keep it in mind as they head towards a new city, a new start, a new beginning.

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