Curiosity In Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451

The old saying repeated throughout history was “Curiosity killed the cat”, but no one knows the rest of the saying or more likely it is never used. However, the rest of the quote follows as “but satisfaction brought it back”. Now, this old proverb can be reflected on the curiosity of Montag in Fahrenheit 451 related to books and with Mink’s interest in Dill her Martian friend in “Zero Hour”. Although, both of the characters’ curiosity are one of the major plot lines in the stories; the curiosity affects the relationships they hold with other characters in the book. Another In Ray Bradbury’s stories, curiosity has altered relationships and identities for the worst as curiosity has literal “killed the cat” in many situations.

Montag’s relationships with others

and his identity as a fireman adapted as his meddling in books caused him to lose everything in his life. The first thing to occur in Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 was the change of Montag’s identity with being a fireman.

Furthermore, Montag’s identity changes with the burning of the old woman which shook him to the core causing him to steal the Bible. However, Montag relays his curiosity, he has found with books to his wife, Mildred, “You weren't there, you didn't see," he said. "There must be something in books, things we can't imagine, to make a woman stay in a burning house; there must be something there. You don't stay for nothing” (Bradbury 48). In fact, this was the first instance Montag realizes that the burning of books such as Whitman, Faulkner and Millay is wrong, but also showcases how curiosity has killed the liking of his job. Curiosity has killed Montag’s relationship with himself. Although, Montag changes as a person, one of the most drastic relationship changes came from Montag and Beatty. In previous sections, Beatty is described to have been curious about the books when he was younger just like Montag now. Furthermore, these two seem to form a bound right away, however; this bond is broken when Beatty betrays Montag by bringing Montag back to his home to light it on fire. Instead, Montag kills Beatty with the

fire hose mangling their relationship into ashes and a corpse. Their relationship seemed to crumble in this quote, “Its real beauty is that it destroys responsibility and consequences. A problem gets too burdensome, then into the furnace with it. Now, Montag, you're a burden. And fire will lift you off my shoulders, clean, quick, sure; nothing to rot later” (Bradbury 109). This quote shows the disgust Beatty has for people who question, for people who think, and people who break the law. This is because Beatty is in love with his job unlike Montag; Beatty will take out anything including one of his own men to stop curiosity in literature from spreading across the nation once again. Let’s just say curiosity does kill the cat.