If one had a grim task they knew they had no business doing, would they simply walk away or try to change it? In Ray Bradbury’s 1953 fantasy novel, Fahrenheit 451, the protagonist, fireman Guy Montag (more commonly known by his last name) has the job of reducing existing works of literature and their dwelling places to ashes in a dystopian society. But he soon realizes this burden is neither worth his time nor his energy. Montag demonstrates compassion, bravery, and a conscience by putting himself in others’ shoes, resisting authority, and confronting his worst enemy - Fire Captain Beatty. First, Montag appears empathetic towards his fellow citizens, while the Captain is bent on burning literature and expects the same characteristic from his cohorts. Before the firemen could burn a woman’s collection of publications, she instead set himself - and her whole house - on fire rather than relinquish her literature. The incident sank deep into Montag’s heart and he questions the tactics of his peers. Over a game of cards, Montag confided to Beatty, “‘I’ve tried to imagine .... just how it would feel. I mean, to have firemen burn our houses and our books.’ .... ‘Was─was it always like this? The …show more content…
Anyone caught with a volume anywhere would not be set on fire; that fate was reserved for their scholarly possessions. But Montag did not seem to care if he received humiliation from his colleagues. When Montag’s confidant, former literature professor Faber, sighted the stolen book in Montag’s arm, “(h)is gaze returned unsteadily to Montag, who was now seated with the book in his lap. ‘The book─where did you─?’ ‘I stole it.’ Faber, for the first time, raised his eyes and looked directly into Montag’s face. ‘You’re brave’” (81). Montag may not have been hailed a hometown hero for his efforts, but he would certainly become noteworthy in the city. No one had ever before dared to complete what he
Although we cannot make people listen. They have to come around in their own time, wondering what happened and why the world blew up around them, it can’t last. A quote by Ray Bradbury. Meanwhile, in the book, Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, tells a story on how montag changed by the influences of the positive people in his society. The next paragraph will show what happened from the beginning and how he changed. Although today’s technological advances haven’t caught up with Bradbury’s F451, there is a very real danger that society might end up overly relying on technology at the price of intellectual development.
In the novel, FAHRENHEIT 451 by Ray Bradbury, Guy Montag lives in an inverted society, where firemen make fires instead of put them out, and pedestrians are used as bowling pins for cars that are excessively speeding. The people on this society are hypnotized by giant wall size televisions and seashell radios that are attached to everyone’s ears. People in Montag’s society do not think for themselves or even generate their own opinions; everything is given to them by the television stations they watch. In this society, if someone is in possession of a book, their books are burned by the firemen, but not only their books, but their entire home. Montag begins realizing that the things in this society are not right. Montag is influenced and changes over the course of the novel. The strongest influences in Montag’s life are Clarisse, the burning on 11 Elm Street and Captain Beatty.
Once Montag witnesses the unethical extent that the firemen would go through to destroy the existence of books, he realizes how corrupt and unjust the societal rules were. “He looked with dismay at the floor. ‘We burned an old woman with her books” (47).
From all outward appearances, Guy Montag is content in his job as a fireman in the 24th century town in which he lives. He has learned to accept that his society is dictatorial, expressly forbidding its citizens from reading or possessing books or seeking any other intellectual self-improvement. Montag has even learned to take pleasure in the flames that shoot from his igniter when he is called to burn the dwelling of the citizens that possess books or commit other crimes against the society. He is successful in distancing himself from the fact that his purpose in life is to destroy other peoples' property.
“Behind his mask of conformity, Montag gradually undergoes a change of values. Montag realized his life had been meaningless without books” (Liukkonen). In the beginning of the novel, Montag said, “It was a pleasure to burn. It was a special pleasure to see things eaten, to see things blackened and changed” (Bradbury 3). For most of his life, Montag conformed just like the other members of society. He set things on fire because it was his job and did not question whether or not it was the right thing to do. Throughout the story, however, he grew to find and voice his own opinions and resisted the conformity that his society stressed. When Montag had to decide whether or not to burn Beatty to death, he proved himself by not giving in to what was expected. He killed the captain of the police department, which was an entirely defiant act (Bradbury
“He was a shrieking blaze [.] all writhing flame on the lawn as Montag shot one continuous pulse of liquid fire on him” (113). This description of Beatty’s murder was grotesque and graphic, demonstrating Montag’s understanding of fire as destructive. However, its meaning shifts from destruction to renewal. The burning of books, people, and their individuality started Montag on his path, and later, they acted as the coals that refueled Montag’s passion.
Above all things, Montag loved to burn. It was pleasurable for him to set aside his ignorance, watching as the little papery ashes shrivel up, and wisp into the air like fireflies. But that was before he took the time to ask why. Montag had to ask himself why he was burning these books, when he didn’t even know what they were. So he decided to take action and read them. Where he lives, this is illegal. Reading these books brought misfortune, like loosing his wife, house, and being forced to become a nomad. But he also benefited from this. By reading these books and ruining his life he also gained many things. A few of these are knowledge, feelings, and understanding.
This escalates, which ends up with the woman burning herself to death along with her books(37). Montag calls in sick the next day, and Captain Beatty, his boss, comes to his house and tells him every fireman gets this way at some point. He tells Montag the history of firemen and books. He tells him everyone had books back then, and that since the US Constitution said "all men are made equal", the people who are illiterate should be equal to the literate(55). The issue of censorship declared books illegal to everyone, to make the people happy. Beatty explains to Montag, "If colored people don't like Little Black Sambo, burn it. If white people don't like Uncle Tom's Cabin, burn it."(57) This explains how the government wants everybody to be happy in their society. Overtime, Montag grows to enjoy books, to the point where he starts hiding them in his own home(63). He ends up running from the city to get away from the authorities, and finds himself with a group of ex-teachers and people who read books before the book
...ny ways; such as learning, exploring, and relaxing. Faber helps Montag to see the real meaning of this unfair law. Without him, he would not become a dynamic character, because he would not have known anything in depth about books.
When Montag is talking to Faber and Faber tells him three things missing from society, “quality of information” , “the leisure to digest it” and “the right to act on them”. By Faber giving Montag these three things that he believes is missing from society, Montag gets a better idea of what life used to be like before the books were banned. Montag sees the passion that Faber has over these things and Montag wants it too. In this society books are burned, especially books with real information. People are distracted from thinking about anything meaningful by meaningless entertainment. In consequence , people don't have the knowledge or the motivation to incite change. Then, when Montag comes to Faber and tells him that he wants to build a plan to overthrow the government, Faber baffled and scared. Montag has no plan until Faber gives him this one accidentally. Faber says, “Now if you suggest that we print extra books and arrange to have them hidden in firemen's houses all over the country, so that seeds of suspicion would be sown among these arsonists, bravo, I'd say!"(85) Faber is influencing Montag here by coming up with a plan and showing him how he can think. He helps Montag carry out this plan by telling him how he can do it. By supporting Montag, Faber makes Montag smarter and gives him the ability and knowledge to act. Through Montag’s interactions with Faber,
In class we read the book Fahrenheit 451. The main character Montag has several qualities that change his views and decisions throughout the book. In the beginning of the story Montag was very confirmative and just went along with everything the government and didn’t really question anything but by the end of the book he was completely different. He had changed his views completely. One reason that motivated Montag to change so drastically was his curiosity. This caused him to question things and that led to some of his other qualities such as his open-mindedness. Questioning everything and talking to new people for information allowed Montag to become more open-minded and become open to more ideas. Another quality that Montag has that lead to his in change in the story was his change over time was his childhood memories.
Instead of saving people and their homes, his job is to burn books and ruin anything to do with knowledge, enlightenment and freedom. Throughout the book, the main character Montag undergoes a rapid transformation from being disengaged from himself and the world, to a man curious about books, nature and feeling, to finally a brave man who is willing to anything to keep his freedom. He realizes that he is limited to his knowledge and freedom by his government, and he doesn’t want that for himself anymore. Bradbury symbolizes this when Montag says to Mildred, “ ‘There must be something in books, things we can’t imagine, to make a woman stand in a burning house; there must be something there.
In the book Fahrenheit 451 Montag was originally fine with his society, but when he found out new things about it he learned that it had been lying to him all along. Montag is totally fine with his society and how he is living his life, he believes that he has an amazing reputation and nothing can compare. Montag talks to Clarisse and is questioned, he begins to think more about these questions and why she was asking them. In result, Montag starts to doubt the way he is living in the society. Montag is done with his society and forms his thoughts into actions and tries to fix his society in the best way that he can. Opinions, knowledge, and determination are things that can cause someone to think differently of the world that they live in.
At the beginning of the book Fahrenheit 451, Montag is a loyal citizen and firemen, who has rarely questioned the beliefs of society. He sees the world as any ordinary citizen (in this society) would, and is perfectly content with seeing flames eat the words and thoughts of a person. Montag would never question society as he “grinned the fierce grin of all men singed and driven back by flame” (Bradbury 3). This means that he did not really feel the emotions that he should have felt, and was blinded by society. He felt he was doing good for society, even though he had no evidence except for the book the firemen read from to learn about their profession. The quote “Established, 1790, to burn English-influenced books in the Colonies. First Fireman: Benjamin Franklin. Rule 1. Answer the alarm swiftly. 2. Start the fire swiftly. 3. Burn everything. 4. Report back to firehouse immediately. 5. Stand alert for other alarms” (Bradbury 34-35) gives examples of how ignorant Montag was. He thought that because it was written in a book and because everyone else believed it, he also should believe it. Montag was the perfect citizen in his perfect society, but h...
While many people might think that because Guy Montag started out as a firefighter he can not be considered a ‘good guy’ or a hero, but it should be noted that his thoughts and actions are those of a person with good intentions despite starting out as a ‘bad guy’. In my first paragraph I will be stating reasons on why guy Montag should be considered a good guy or a hero. In the second paragraph I will state why his actions and thoughts do not make him a bad person. Lastly, I will state why Montag's actions and thoughts make him a good person.