Category: Fahrenheit 451

Carl W. Buechner once stated, “They may forget what you said, but they will never forget how you made them feel”. People will not forget the interactions that are of immense value to them. Even if the person passed away they still leave a massive impression on the people they met and had interactions with. If the relationship happened during the moment and each person exposed themselves to each other, neither will forget the impact they each made on each other’s lives. This correlates to the novel Fahrenheit 451, written by Ray Bradbury because this explains the relationship between two characters. Although one of them passed away, the main character was motivated to do something regarding the world that he did not consider until he met this character. He references her multiple times following her passing which reveals how significant her presence was in his life even if it was short-lived. In the novel, Fahrenheit 451, written by Ray Bradbury, is about a man who lives in a society that has condemned books. He discovers with the guidance of people he meets along the way that makes him want to improve this society for the better. He realizes that someone must do something before it is too late for everyone. In Ray Bradbury’s novel, Fahrenheit 451, Bradbury uses various types of literary devices to further develop the theme of how people need meaningful relationships to truly be happy.

To begin with, Bradbury utilizes literary devices like imagery to contribute to the theme of people needing significant relationships to be truly happy. After Montag finished speaking to Mildred, who he didn’t want to bicker with, he walked outside to cool off and noticed Clarisse. Montag begins to walk out of his house from Mildred but he notices that “The rain was thinning away and the girl was walking in the center of the sidewalk with her head up and the few drops falling on her face” (Bradbury 19). This piece of imagery explicates how when this girl’s demeanor was approaching Montag, the rain and gloominess that he was feeling vanished. Clarisse’s presence is so strong and full since she is certain of herself and knows what she needs. She isn’t afraid of anything, which is what Montag grows to find out when he talks to her and understands how happy she is because she knows herself. When Montag enters his house to speak to Mildred before his interaction with Clarisse, he encountered heavy rain and a dark feeling which symbolizes his dull relationship with Mildred. Once he meets Clarisse, he notices the sun and less of the rain because Clarisse makes him feel light and free to express his individuality. Additionally, Bradbury proceeds to apply imagery to develop the theme of relationships further. Montag has been going through the motions and living his life but he sees and or realizes after a few days that Clarisse has been gone. Montag, who has been tallying the days notices that he hasn’t seen Clarisse “And, then, Clarisse was gone. He didn’t know what there was about the afternoon, but it was not seeing her somewhere in the world. The lawn was empty, the trees empty, the street empty, and while at first, he did not even know he missed her or was even looking for her, the fact was that by the time he reached the subway, there were vague stirrings of dis-ease in him” (Bradbury 29). Montag feels a certain way and describes it as a feeling of emptiness once he realizes that he has not seen Clarisse. Montag misses the idea of Clarisse and her presence that she possesses whenever he talks to her. This friendship that he has developed with Clarisse made him feel more like himself than he felt with anyone else especially his wife. This feeling of worry that Clarisse is missing or gone scares him because he was just starting to find his true self and figure himself out. Clarisse and his relationship were of high importance to him and he feels happier with her in his presence and she makes him comfortable so without her, Montag realizes how lonely or sad he is in this society. This demonstrates how the literary device of imagery proves to develop the theme that people need meaningful relationships to be truly happy.

Furthermore, Bradbury takes advantage of literary devices like symbolism to show the theme that people need meaningful relationships to be truly happy. Montag and Mildred talk about what she’s doing in her tv parlor room after they discuss her overdosing accident. Mildred opens up to Montag about purchasing another wall to add a tv and she continues to mention that ‘“If we had a fourth wall, why it’d be just like this room wasn’t ours at all, but all kinds of exotic people’s rooms”’ (Bradbury 19). Mildred trying to fight for why she needs another wall for a fourth tv symbolizes her dependence on this item. Society, in general, feels as if they need the tv over any stimulating conversations or love. Mildred continues to show how she loves the tv more than Montag and that she cares more for items over her husband. She expects Montag to pay for all these items to make her happy and keep her happy which confirms that the tv is what makes her smile. Mildred wants to be able to keep her “family” happy and continue to communicate with them and play with them rather than keeping her husband, which symbolizes her bond and her true intentions with Montag which is just using him for money. Moreover, Bradbury uses another example of symbolism to strengthen why relationships are required to be truly happy. Montag notices that Clarisse is outside when he leaves his house after talking to Mildred so the two of them talk. Clarisse mentions dandelions to Montag and that they reveal whether someone is in love or not. She demonstrates on herself and wanted to do it to Montag even though he didn’t want to but “Before he could move she had put the dandelion under his chin. He drew back and she laughed “hold still,” she peered under his chin and frowned. “‘Well?” he said. what a shame,” she said. “‘You’re not in love with anyone”’ (Bradbury 19). In this scene, the dandelion symbolizes love and passion. Clarrise wants to know if Montag is in love and using the dandelion shows how he isn’t if his chin is still yellow. Montag wants to deny it, but on the inside, he knows that he truly isn’t in love with his wife. He doesn’t feel content with her but continues to justify his relationship because he wishes he was happy and in love. Since he isn’t he doesn’t know himself or understand his purpose in life due to not possessing any genuine relationships other than with Clarisse. Clarisse encourages Montag to express himself and develop himself as a person freely and happily. This relationship he’s developed has helped him realize his failing relationship with Mildred and his ability to question the society he lives in. The pieces of evidence above prove Bradbury’s theme that people need meaningful relationships to be truly satisfied.

As one can see in Ray Bradbury’s novel Fahrenheit 451, Bradbury proves the theme that meaningful relationships are necessary to be happy with literary devices. Bradbury utilizes devices like imagery to visually show relationships being formed and symbolism to form a more important meaning of a topic. These literary devices help develop the theme even further throughout the novel. If people are not happy with their life and the people who surround themselves, then they should seek new people to befriend. Relationships in life are essential and allow people to discover themselves like their ideal or immoral traits. People who are influential enough can support others to become more certain of themselves. Without people having relationships with others, connections wouldn’t be made and the world would be an extremely dull place. People who have relationships with people that make them happy will not forget the important moments, even if they are not in each other’s lives anymore. That person will still treasure the moments and feelings that were exchanged with that special person and may even grow to become a better person with what they have learned from the people that used to be in their lives.

Struggles between knowledge and ignorance often occur in society. In Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451, the government attempts to control the people by enforcing censorship of information and the burning of books. The main character, Guy Montag, struggles against himself, his boss, Beatty, and the government as he tries to stop promoting ignorance and seeks change in a conformist society. In this novel, the author cleverly changes the significance of the fire motif to represent the change from a negative association to a positive association with knowledge.

Initially, Ray Bradbury uses the motif of fire to depict a negative association with knowledge by emphasizing destructive burning in Fahrenheit 451. Montag is a fireman who burns books and houses down and envisions his hands as “the hands of some amazing conductor playing all the symphonies of blazing and burning” (Bradbury 3). Montag’s society destroys knowledge that comes in the form of wisdom obtained from books. Montag “flicked the igniter and the house jumped up in a gorging fire that burned the evening sky red and yellow and black” (3). He views the burning positively because, in his society, a fireman’s responsibility is to burn books, thereby destroying the supposed evils of knowledge, promoting ignorance, and maintaining sameness within society. Bradbury describes that the books “blew away on a wind turned dark with burning” (4). The use of vivid negative imagery via the words “wind turned dark with burning” allows the reader to visualize that the evils of knowledge are blackened and destroyed by fire. Montag comments that he “knew that when he returned to the firehouse, he might wink at himself, a minstrel man, burnt-corked, in the mirror” (4). He winks at himself because he enjoys burning. He is proud of his accomplishments as an eager participant that destroys harmful knowledge. Montag uses a metaphor to compare himself to a minstrel man with a dark face from the soot and smoke of the fire. He seems to view himself favorably, like a performer in a minstrel show, rather than as a man engaging in destructive actions. Bradbury also uses similes and imagery to convey knowledge being destroyed by fire. This is evident when the firemen throw magazines while at Mrs. Blake’s house. Montag describes, “They fell like slaughtered birds” (37) and “The books lay like great mounds of fishes left to dry” (38). The vivid imagery created by the similes “like slaughtered birds” and “like great mounds of fish left to dry” emphasizes death and that fire is being used to destroy books and in turn the wickedness of knowledge.

In contrast, as Fahrenheit 451 progresses, Ray Bradbury uses the change in the motif of fire to represent Montag’s symbolic change from viewing knowledge negatively to seeing it in a more positive light by detailing Montag’s use of fire to find knowledge. Montag meets Faber at his home and asks for guidance. Faber shows him that books are valuable and have meaning. Montag changes his long-standing beliefs and realizes that having knowledge is good. He confides in Faber that his boss, Captain Beatty, could change his mind, stating, “‘His voice is like butter. I’m afraid he’ll talk me back the way I was. Only a week ago, pumping a kerosene hose, I thought: God, what fun!’” (85). Faber replies, “‘Those who don’t build must burn. It’s as old as history and juvenile delinquents’” (85). With this analogy, Faber describes the function of the firefighters, who destroy books and prevent people from furthering their knowledge. He believes that authors and intellectuals “build up” society positively, while individuals who do not give back to society, like juvenile delinquents, contribute to its destruction. Due to Montag’s new attitude towards knowledge, he decides to destroy both his home and his previous life with Beatty. He burns down his house because “he want[s] to change everything, the chairs, the tables, and in the dining room the silverware and plastic dishes, everything that show[s] that he had lived here…” (116). He wishes to forget his old life now that he has developed a positive association with the value of knowledge. Montag comments, “‘We never burned right…’” (119). This stresses that he has changed and is using the fire equipment for the right reason by burning, or eliminating, the ignorance that is ruining his society. Montag burns Beatty, symbolically destroys the negative effects of the control his boss had over his life, and turns him into “a shrieking blaze, a jumping, sprawling, gibbering mannikin, no longer human or known, all writhing flame on the lawn as Montag shot one continuous pulse of liquid fire on him” (119).

Finally, Ray Bradbury uses the change in the motif of fire through the symbols of the sun, the campfire, and the phoenix to represent Montag’s symbolic change from viewing knowledge negatively to positively. After Montag burns Beatty and runs away, he ponders about how both he and society needs to change. He notices that “if he burnt things with the firemen and the sun burnt Time, then meant that everything burnt!” (141) Montag no longer believes that burning and destruction are desirable. Bradbury’s repetition of the word “burning” accentuates the sense of revelation that Montag undergoes. He must alter his ingrained perceptions of fire and burning and, in doing so, change his view of knowledge as well. He used to be a fireman that thrived on burning, but now he must morph into a champion for freedom of thought and new ideas. When Montag meets Granger and the intellectuals they are warming themselves next to a fire. He reflects, “he hadn’t known fire could look this way. He had never thought in his life that it could give as well as take. Even its smell was different” (146). Montag notices that the people are not fearful of using fire to warm their hands. He changes his opinion about fire being destructive because he sees is now able to see it positively due to its benefits. Also, Granger mentions the word “‘phoenix,’” describes it as a bird that “‘built a pyre and burned himself up,’” (163) and emphasizes how “‘every time he burnt himself up he sprang out of the ashes, he got himself born all over again’” (163). The phoenix symbolizes Montag’s rebirth and ascent from the ashes like the phoenix because he set fire to his old life and resurfaced with a new perspective on fire as constructive and knowledge as beneficial.

In Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury skillfully uses changes in the fire motif to symbolize a change in attitude towards knowledge from negative to positive. At first, Montag uses fire destructively to burn books and destroy the evils of knowledge. As the novel progresses, fire represents freedom and a search for knowledge as Montag breaks free from his old, oppressive life, embraces knowledge, and journeys toward freedom of thought. At the end of the novel, fire symbolizes the rebirth of knowledge and Montag’s journey from a flame-loving fireman hell-bent on destroying books to a man who realizes their importance. Knowledge is an essential part of a person’s life, which can be destructive or constructive, depending upon the situation.

How far would you go to preserve something that was lost from your society? Montag, the main protagonist of the book ‘Fahrenheit 451’​, kills his mentor,​ ​Beatty, with a flamethrower to preserve the freedom to read.

Montag is a fireman who burns books as a job due to the fact that in his world it breaks the law to read books. Montag along with his coworkers are all firemen and they are controlled by a man named Beatty, who is the boss of all the firemen. Montag starts off the book enjoying destroying books, but after meeting an odd young woman named Clarisse, he begins to change. Clarisse is an oddball in his society who is curious about her society and ends up talking with Montag when he is walking home on the street. After a short conversation between the two​,​ he begins to wonder whether books are actually useful or not and if the firemen are doing the correct thing. Mrs. Hudson is an old woman who had been secretly hiding books and would not give them up when the firemen arrived at her home. When Montag and the other firemen go to Mrs. Hudson’s house to burn the books she had been reading, Montag actually steals books from her house. Shortly after getting his hands on the books and reading them, Beatty, the captain of the firemen, starts to get suspicious of Montag. Montag convinces Mildred to read books, but she would not listen to him, so Montag goes to Faber, a retired English professor, for assistance. After Beatty discovers Montag has actually been reading books, they go to his home to burn all the books Montag owned. When Montag finishes burning them, Beatty also discovers that Montag has been getting assistance from Faber by talking to Montag through a small green object that Faber created. Beatty says he would then drop in on his friend too, but Montag burns him with a flamethrower before Beatty can.​ When Montag kills Beatty to preserve the freedom to read, it does not avenge the deaths of Mrs. Hudson and Clarisse, but Montag can justify killing Beatty.

Montag kills Beatty to preserve the freedom to read rather than self-defense. When Beatty said he would drop in on his friend Faber as well, Montag became extremely defensive and held up his flamethrower against Beatty. To Montag, Faber is more than just a person, he is the one who helped him develop and taught him the value of books. Montag doesn’t want Faber to die because he is the one with value and knowledge. During the conversation when Beatty discovers the green object hidden in Montag’s ear that allows him to talk to Faber, Beatty says: “‘We’ll trace this and drop in on him’. ‘No!’. He twitched the safety catch on the flamethrower” (Bradbury, 112). Actually, Montag killed Beatty in self-defense because when Beatty said he would drop in on his friend, only then did Montag react and Faber is part of Montag’s identity. Wrong, Montag knows he is running a risk and putting himself in danger, and when he does that, it is not about protecting himself. Montag claims he has nothing left to lose, so protecting himself is the least of his concerns. When Montag visits Faber and has a conversation with him, Faber says: “‘It’s a risk’. ‘That’s the good part of dying, because you’ve got nothing left, you run any risk you’d want’” (Bradbury, 81). Montag did not kill Beatty for his own protection, but he killed Beatty to preserve the freedom to read.

Montag has not avenged the deaths of Mrs. Hudson and Clarisse because Beatty was only doing his job. Beatty could not have known what he was doing because he blindly followed the rules, and murdering Beatty for doing so is not just. Beatty was only doing what he was told, and killing him would definitely not clean up the mess that was created. When Montag questioned whether the fireman work was always like it was currently his co-workers responded with, “‘That’s rich!’. Stoneman and Black drew forth their rule books, and laid them out where Montag might read: 1. Answer the alarm quickly….” (Bradbury, 32). Beatty was the ringleader who controlled the deaths of Mrs. Hudson and Clarisse. When Montag kills Beatty, it avenges their deaths. Actually, when Montag kills Beatty, it does not avenge anyone’s death, because shortly after he kills Beatty, he hurts more people. Killing innocent people who were not aware of what they were doing does not avenge anything and Mrs. Hudson nor Clarisse would want this to happen. When Montag arrives at Mrs. Black’s house, he thinks to himself: “This isn’t good, but your husband did it to others and never asked about what others thought….” (Bradbury, 123). Even when Montag kills Beatty, he still has not avenged the deaths of Mrs. Hudson and Clarisse.

Montag can justify murder in the defense of books because he is fighting for what he believes is right. Montag kills Beatty for what he thinks is good for society, unlike the firemen who destroy books and lives while enjoying it. Montag may have killed Beatty, but at least he has changed from what the typical fireman was, a human being who burned books and people blindly for enjoyment. During the opening of the story, when Montag is finished burning a house up, he grins, “the fierce grin of all the men singed and driven back by the flame. It never went away, that smile, as long as he remembered” (Bradbury, 2). Still, Montag can not justify murder in the defense of books because killing Beatty does not help preserve books at all. All killing Beatty did was to prevent him from killing Faber, not to help books. Again, Montag killing Beatty in the defense of books is justifiable because not only does it prevent Beatty from dropping in on Faber, but he joins Granger’s group of scholars and their goal is to bring back books. Montag, joining them, helps the effort, even if it helps by the slightest amount. When Granger was talking to Montag about how they also made mistakes along the way, Granger says: “‘I struck a fireman when he burned my library years ago. You want to join us, Montag?’. ‘Yes’” (Bradbury, 143). Montag can indeed justify murder because he is fighting for what he believes is right.

The freedom to read is preserved when Montag kills Beatty, but it does not avenge the deaths of Mrs. Hudson and Clarrise. Montag is also able to justify murder in the defense of books. Montag may not have been the smartest protagonist, but he attempts to reach his goals by doing any action necessary, which makes him a very interesting main character. Many protagonists in stories are powerful and they still make mistakes like Montag, but they reach their goal in the end with the help of the people around them. Montag does get help from the people around him like Clarisse and Faber, but in the end, the story is left unfinished, he stays with Granger and his group leaves to rebuild the destroyed world. He contributes to the restoration of his world after the main story and is no longer the center focus of everything. Montag is a character who is blind at the beginning, not seeing what is wrong with the world but learns and attempts to fix the world in his own way. Instead of doing what he thought originally, he ends up carrying out Granger’s plans, which makes him incredibly admirable. Doing whatever it takes to complete a goal that he perceives to be the correct thing and changing it because he acknowledges that he might have been wrong is brave. Montag only lived in his society like everyone else, following what others think and not themselves, until he realized something was wrong. Instead of refusing to see the truth, he realizes it and does what he can to change the world.

How does alienation and loneliness affect our society? The way alienation and loneliness affect our society is by having people develop antisocial norms. Many characters in the novel Fahrenheit 451 suffer from being lonely because alienation plays a big part in the novel. Ray Bradbury, a 20th-century novelist, short story writer, and screenplay writer, in Fahrenheit 451 uses alienation and loneliness as a predominant element and has been complimented for writing “a masterwork of twentieth-century literature set in a bleak, dystopian future” (Fahrenheit 451).

During the twentieth century, numerous journalists were found amid the Edwardian time frame. The most full-measure composing of the period, conventionalist or present day, was animated by neither want nor misgiving anyway by more disheartening sentiments that the fresh out of the box new century could observe the breakdown of a whole progress. No individual caught the experience of a supreme progress in decay more prominent than the exile American author Henry James, who was an incredible figure amid this. (Beer, John, and Baker).

The Modernist Revolution, that lasted from 1908 to 1914, was an amazingly profitable measure of development and investigation as writers and artists attempted, in treasury and magazines, to challenge the abstract conventions.The soul of innovation was communicated by the English and American artists of the Imagist development. The Modernist Revolution was ended by World War I (Beer, John, and Baker).

The field of mediation emerged at the start of the twentieth century. It emerged in the West and in the United States as their power continued to grow. The emergence of the United States had an impact on international politics in a bipolar world (McDougall).

In most of the issues discussed in the criticism of the 20th century appears to be in nature purely empirical, even technical. Anti-romantic insistence on irony, convention, and aesthetics was accompanied by contempt for all revolutionary hopes. Even literary creators have continued to write enlightening comments on their own principles and goals. It is its catholicity of scope and methods, its adoption of social sciences procedures and its unequaled attention to detail separate modern criticism from previous works. Meanwhile, anthropology, linguistics, philosophy, and psychoanalysis have made important contributions to literary understanding (Crews).

However, the short story’s appeal continued to increase in the first half of the 20th century. Thousands of excellent stories literally have been published, including nearly every major dramatic playwright, poet and novelist, as it would seem. The short story itself became more diversified and complex when knowledge of it increased (Hansen).

In Ray Bradbury’s life, he grew up enjoying horror films. In 1932, Ray Bradbury met a carnival magician, Mr. Electrico. Bradbury stated that he started writing every day and has written ever since meeting Mr. Electrico and other carnival performers (Gregersen).

Bradbury’s family moved to Los Angeles in 1934. At the point when Bradbury joined the Los Angeles Science Fiction League in 1937, he got consolation from youthful authors. Bradbury discharged his first short story, ‘Hollerbochen’s Dilemma’ (1938), in the class’ fanzine. His fanzine Futuria Fantasia was distributed in 1939. He visited New York City for the principal World Convention of Science Fiction. In 1941, he made his first deal to an expert sci-fi magazine. In Weird Tales, a considerable lot of the most punctual accounts of Bradbury have been distributed, with components of creative ability and repulsiveness (Gregersen).

Bradbury never again composed fiction at his unavoidable pace during the 1970s transforming his vitality into verse and dramatization. He had sold a few short accounts of riddle prior in his profession. A spin-off of Dandelion Wine was his last novel, Farewell Summer (2006). For the TV arrangement The Ray Bradbury Theater (1985-92), he adjusted 59 of his short stories. Bradbury was regularly viewed as a creator of sci-fi, however he said that Fahrenheit 451 was his solitary sci-fi. The greater part of his work has been dream, repulsiveness, or puzzle carefully. His enlivened adjustment The Halloween Tree (1994), and the National Medal of Arts (2004) got an Emmy because of his diligent work (Gregersen).

Loneliness could be a complicated and frequently unpleasant emotional response to isolation. Different perceptions and attributions characterize loneliness. Lonely people tend to have a pessimistic general perspective, which means they do not deal with those things around them alone more negatively than people who do not. The loneliness experience is extremely subjective. Someone can be alone and not feel lonely yet can feel lonely even when surrounded by others (Hawkley).

Studies have shown that loneliness puts people at risk and can lead somebody to have a short life. Loneliness in an experimental environment is difficult to manipulate. An experiment was conducted where people were hypnotized. When they were hypnotized, they were asked to remember a time they felt lonely, and after returning from the hypnotic state, they were asked to remember a time when they felt very socially connected. The experiment showed that many individuals tend to become low when thinking of being lonely (Hawkley).

Poor social skills cause unsatisfactory personal relationships, which in turn lead to negative autonomy leading to social isolation and disappointment. Lonely individuals end up blaming themselves for not being able to achieve satisfactory social relationships. The risk of mental and physical disease in lonely individuals can at least be partly caused by increased stress (Hawkley).

Alienation is the state of feeling alienated or separated from everything around them. The definitions of alienation include impotence, insignificance, normality, cultural alienation, and self-estrangement. You can be alienated from yourself, which means you just feel out of touch with yourself or others. A person may feel powerless, feeling that their destiny is not controlled but determined by external agents, destiny, luck, or institutional arrangements. Some writers emphasised that alienation could be a social-psychological reality. The idea of alienation remains an ambiguous, elusive concept, despite its popularity in the analysis of contemporary life (Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopedia).

The dystopian novel, Fahrenheit 451, takes place in a distant future in an unspecified city. In their imaginary world the police state ‘firemen’ burn homes that contain books, because all books are prohibited by law. The protagonist, the fireman Guy Montag, is drawn by a woman in an underground book world. Finally, he joins an outsourced group to protect literature by placing whole books in their memory. No memory can be erased when printed matter is burned (Bradbury).

The authorities have decreed that all writing is subversive because it is inevitably contradictory, and it allows people to become conscious of unpleasant social aspects. The conversion to reading from Montag is significant because he is suddenly in light, not darkness. Montag had mentioned how he just wished someone would listen to what he had to say. This confession shows how Montag feels rejection and distance from his loved ones, leading up to feelings of isolation. Due to Montag’s experiences with alienation, he begins to break the law as he begins to collect books (Zubair).

Montag’s wife, Mildred, is also a victim of alienation. As Montag refuses to fulfill her desire for additional family, she becomes even lonelier. Alienation is also shown through her attempted suicide. Her falling relationship with Montag is another facet that shows isolation. The character of Montag can clearly demonstrate solitude while he meets other characters. When being first introduced to Montag, his eyes are opened to the loneliness in his conversation with Clarisse McClellan, as she asks him how happy he is (Zubair).

In conclusion, alienation and loneliness plays a big role in the novel Fahrenheit 451. Almost every character that is mentioned in this novel experience alienation and loneliness since being anti-social and hiding how they feel about certain things affects their daily lives.

The Temperature at Which Books Burn

Ray Bradbury satirically views the world through Fahrenheit 451 by portraying society’s complacency with the problems developing within itself, extending from an absence of personal relationships to a reliance on technological innovations to a ridiculous extent. Thus complacency has overruled the gift of knowledge with disregard. The problems seen in Fahrenheit 451 can accurately compare to modern reality. These were the issues that Ray Bradbury anticipated to be true regarding what was to come shortly.

In the book Fahrenheit 451, the characters displayed a lot of ignorance throughout the story, constantly being in the presence of a screen and not paying enough attention to the detail surrounding them, almost as if it were a daily requirement. Clarisse noticed this and brought it up in a conversation with Montage, she said, “No one has time anymore for anyone else” (21). She proceeds to explain to Montage how people are so attached to their source of amusement and they go as far as believing it is better than interacting with other human beings. Society has become more complacent as innovations improve we tend to want better, faster, and more efficient shortcuts. Many students would rather be lazy and take those shortcuts because thinking requires more time and effort. The real enemy is complacency.

. Today we live in a world where technology is a necessity and where humans have become too reliant on advancements that we cannot go a day without its advantages. Rather than having to use their time for researching and learning a subject, people in Bradbury’s book are hooked to technology, particularly their Televisions. They remain in an enclosed TV parlor and the characters go as far as calling the actors on the TV their “family” because they have spent countless hours watching the shows. Montage sees that his wife prefers television over his husband’s company as he tries to explain to her his overwhelming thoughts about reading, but yet she shows no interest and cannot understand why he would want to take the terrible risk of reading books. Bradbury states that “Then, in the 20th century, speed up your camera. Books cut shorter” (52). As technology grows more efficient we get drawn out of reality and absorbed into this virtual world where it appears as if we have no control over it. In Bradbury’s novel, you can see how everyone’s life orbits around the parlor. It has even affected how parents raise their children. “You heave them into the parlor and turn the switch. It’s like washing clothes; stuff laundry in and slam the lid” (90). Technology has taken the place of numerous things in people’s lives. As the kids will also start to rely on technology and their kids after them and so forth, turning into a never-ending cycle.

The people of today’s society are being choked by the hand of complacency without even realizing it. We have become more ignorant and self-centered almost to the point where we individuals barely care about one another’s and the world’s issues. Tragic news events have turned into a norm and are immersed beyond any helpful significance. In Fahrenheit 451, Montage asked Mrs.Phelps about her family, she said, “Oh, they come and go, come and go,” (90). Mrs.Phelps doesn’t show any attention to her family assuming because she’s so caught up with her show. Some might assume that she values her TV as a family more than her actual family (her husband). A research study conducted by the American Psychological Association tells us, “about 40 to 50 percent of married couples in the United States divorce. The divorce rate for subsequent marriages is even higher.” (American Psychological Association). Because of this loss of connection families face problems that lead to divorce. Complacency is the root foundation of most modern problems.

The book Fahrenheit 451 and our modern society have a lot in common in a way that we choose to ignore it. The way the book is almost like a path of the future that our current society is taking the route, if we continue to be glued in this virtual reality, we, could end up like the characters in the book. We have to be more aware of the things around us and genuinely connect, to lessen the complacent lifestyle we live in.

In today’s world, most information is available to access. People can agree or disagree with what is being said or written. As the population grows and evolves, so does censorship. What was enhancing a tune or on a tv display has now emerged as banning books and aligning news stations to positive political events. Ray Bradbury wrote Fahrenheit 451 in 1953 but created a world that reflects and exaggerates these precise troubles with censorship. His important individual, Guy Montag, is dwelling in a futuristic society that destroys all styles of literature, puts familial values last, focuses on TV, puts sports over education, and keeps the public busy and distracted instead of really knowing what is going on. All of this is in an attempt to prevent the enlargement of deep conceptual thought. Although Montag works for the government by censoring the publics’ information via burning books, he starts to recognize that censorship has ruined society. Fahrenheit 451 contains many allusions, including historical, mythological, literary, and biblical references. Ray Bradbury uses these allusions to provide a point of reference for how the characters in the book relate to events and literature in order to develop the theme of censorship.

Bradbury indicated that censorship can destroy a society and everyone in it through his allusions. The government has complete control over what is being shown in the community. At the beginning of part 2, Montag goes to talk to Faber about books and what he has read. Faber then goes on to say, “Do you know the legend of Hercules and Antaeus, the giant wrestler, whose strength was so incredible so as long as he stood firmly on the earth? But when he was held, rootless, in mid-air, by Hercules, he perished easily” (Bradbury 79). Bradbury used this allusion to advance the theme that censorship has corrupted this society by eliminating books. The Legend. Hercules went to the garden of Hesperides for golden apples. Antaeus, a Libyan giant who supposedly had invincible strength, challenged Hercules to a wrestling match. Like the hero he was, Hercules accepted. Bradbury uses another allusion to demonstrate how censorship has produced corruption in society. Montag was eating dinner when he sees Mildred come in. In the book, it says “ Mildred ran from the parlor like a native fleeing an eruption of Vesuvius”(Bradbury 89). This is an allusion to the famous volcano that erupted in AD79 destroying the city of Pompeii and all of its residents. In the book, Bradbury uses this allusion to show that Mildred doesn’t was Montag to say anything to her friends about the books he has been reading. She has been brainwashed by the government to follow it without question. Mildred doesn’t agree with what Montag is doing, so she is acting like everything is normal to make sure the women don’t talk to Montag. These two examples assist Bradbury to give an explanation to his audience that censorship destroys society. It can make people lose their lives, switch on their neighbors, or follow blindly without query.

Bradbury uses personification to show how censorship has brainwashed society. Nobody in the community is allowed to have self-thought. When Montag is talking to Clarice, for the first time, she is making him think for himself instead of going along with what the government wants. In the book, it says, “He felt his body divide itself into a hotness and coldness, a softness and hardness, a trembling and not trembling, the two halves grinding one upon the other” (Bradbury 21). This quote shows personification because Montag’s body cannot divide itself in half. It shows how Montag had a second notion about himself when he was speaking to Clarisse. She said when she talks to different people about the actual world they overlook her and carry on but while she talks to Montag, he listens and she thinks it is atypical that he is a fireman and does this. Bradbury uses personification when Montag was sitting on the train. In the text, it states, ‘ The train radio vomited upon Montag, in retaliation, a great download of music made of tin… ‘ (Bradbury 75). This quote shows personification because a radio cannot vomit on a person. The quote in the book means that Montag had tons in his head whilst he rode the train to Faber’s residence. He was thinking of the Bible and the words ‘Denham’s Dentifrice’. Then he heard everything clearly along with the tune of the train playing and the people speaking and additionally what he was saying in his thoughts. Bradbury uses personification to really show how bad society and the people within it are.

In the novel Fahrenheit 451, there are many types of struggles for the characters in the novel. There can also be struggles for us people in the real world. Fire in the novel is used to destroy the books that people are not allowed to have or read. Technology in Fahrenheit 451 is used for many different reasons but one of the best technologies that are used in Fahrenheit 451 is the mechanical hound which is a hound made out of many different types of mechanical parts they say this on page (24) “It is only copper wire, storage batteries, and electricity.” Most of the story of Fahrenheit 451 is based around censorship and how people have to live with strict rules as they do in North Korea.

When a book paper reaches 451 degrees it will catch fire. In Fahrenheit 451 fire can symbolize many different types of action and emotions. It can symbolize rebirth, knowledge, destruction, and chaos. Fahrenheit 451 also talks about a firebird that is called a phoenix. The phoenix is also a sign of rebirth and immortality.

In the book it has been said that Benjamin Franklin was the first fireman this is said on page (32) ‘Established, 1790, to burn English-influenced books in the Colonies, First Fireman: Benjamin Franklin.’ In Fahrenheit 451 the firefighters are not putting out fire instead they are making fire to destroy books and banned things. Fire is used to destroy many different types of beautiful pieces of literature and novels. In the real world, fire can also destroy many different things such as forests, and famous and historic buildings. Fire can cause a really bad environment for the earth and it can bring more pollution and have more worse effect on climate change.

There is a historic event that happened that is similar to what is happening in Fahrenheit 451. Actually, there was something about burning books in real life just like they did in the book. The nazis burned books that opposed the nazis. This happened in March 1933 the nazis had burned over 25,000 books and it had major censorship. This is almost the exact thing that is going on to the characters who want to own a book or read a book in Fahrenheit 451.

At the beginning of the book Guy Montag likes fire and he also used to like the burning sensation about setting fire to a book. I believe that Guy Montag said this quote. “It was a pleasure to burn” it is found on page (1). I think that he said that because he thinks he feels better by burning a book for the country. I think that he feels that he is doing this to act patriotic and to defend this book from people who want to be an eel.

As the story later progressed Guy Montag became less fanatic about burning books and having fun with fire and he is starting to wonder if burning the books he is putting fire to is the right thing to do. This happens because when they were going to burn books there was an old lady with many books she had hidden from the fire department. When they found the books the firefighters pile up all the books ready to burn all the books she got. But to Montag’s surprise, the old lady decides to burn herself with the books and she dies. I think that Montag was a bit surprised at why the old lady decided to do this and he started to ask himself why she decided to burn and kill herself just for some books. After all of that Montag decides to take a book for himself so he can read.

So in the novel Fahrenheit 451, there is a lot of technology. It is a story about how technology can affect our lives. The novel is based on a futuristic future and there is a lot of technology that we can recognize today. There are futuristic walls that are or act like tvs. There are also robot dogs that are called mechanical hounds that are like hunting dogs but instead of hunting animals they hunt and kill the eels.

The first thing that I will talk about will be how technology from the book is relatable to today. In Fahrenheit 451 Montag imagined how his room would look without turning on the lights. He imagines that his wife was there sleeping but in her ear, there are little seashells that can help his wife Mildred fall asleep. The seashells are like headphones or earbuds that can help some people fall asleep while listening to music. Montag’s wife Mildred is also obsessed with technology because in the book she says that she wants a new wall-tv even when they already got 3 of them.

The second thing that I will be writing about is the mechanical hounds on how it works. So the first time the mechanical hound comes up in the book is when it talks about how he sleeps and it does not sleep. It has 8 legs and it also has a four-inch needle that can inject morphine or procaine that can help kill the eels. So Montag tries to touch the hound and the hound is acting like a bad dog would act like someone who the dog doesn’t like or trust. Montag tells the captain of the fire station that the hound doesn’t like him and the captain says “It doesn’t like or dislike, it just functions” The hound might be activated to someone who could be suspicious of someone who could be an eel.

In this paragraph, I’m going to write about how technology has affected the storyline of Fahrenheit 451. I think that people in Fahrenheit 451 are more closed to technology rather than other people. For example, Mildred would rather watch her favorite tv show called white clown than talk stuff with Montag. Technology on how we use it is like the book since we would rather talk to each other on phones rather than talk face to face. That is how technology has affected the storyline.

To sum up I wrote about how technology affected our lives in real life. It also talks about how technology has affected the story in Fahrenheit 451. There have been many inventions that have changed how we lived today. It also talks about how the inventions changed Fahrenheit 451 about many types of technology. That is how technology

In the novel Fahrenheit 451 censorship is one of the major themes or it can also be the most important theme that is in the book. Characters in the novel have to follow strict rules or else they will be punished and probably go to jail or die. The same thing can also happen if other different types of countries have strict rules for tourists and their own people. I think that these countries have these strict rules because they want their people to be perfect for the other people that could be watching them. For example, in North Korea, everybody has to bow down to them two big statues of the former leaders of North Korea.

Characters in Fahrenheit 451 are not allowed to have books, read books, or distribute them or they will be in trouble. The only things they are allowed to read are things such as comics and trade journals. The government does not want other people to read books because the government is scared that the citizens are going to become smarter than them. If you are caught with a book, the fire department in Fahrenheit 451 will come to your house and burn the books in your own home. Even the firefighter that is working for the fire department can also not have books just like they did to Montag when Beatty started to get suspicious of Montag they all go to his house and they find books there and he is caught but he runs away.

Censorship is probably the most important theme in Fahrenheit 451 because people are not allowed to be doing or have certain things. In North Korea, you can not have foreign movies or shows like some people in North Korea smuggled a famous tv show from Netflix and they were executed. The censorship in North Korea is probably worse or equal to the censorship that is shown in Fahrenheit 451. That is all I had to write about this book.

Before Montag meets Clarisse, his sixteen-year-old neighbor, he is minimal in excess of a machine, a book-consuming robot. He reports to work, adapts to his self-destructive spouse, and strolls through his TV-fixated world, however, he scarcely sees what he is doing. Clarisse shakes Montag out of his daze, constrains him to look at his general surroundings, and rouses him to make intense and savage strides. She does the majority of this in a roundabout way, be that as it may. Her key capacity in the novel—the capacity that gets these progressions underway—is to indicate Montag being an author.

Like an incipient writer, Clarisse is definitely mindful of and keen on the world she lives in. In a progression of discussion, she demonstrates to Montag the manner in which she watches society, appreciates stunning things, and thinks about what she sees. She shares her bits of knowledge with individuals, communicating wonderment at the manner in which they blather to one another without looking at anything significant, race past delightful sights without watching them, and neglect to teach kids. She calls attention to little subtleties, for example, the dew on the grass and the man on the moon. She savors the experience of old superstitions, for example, the possibility that dandelions show whether somebody is enamored. She shares analogies, contrasting the downpour with wine and the fallen leaves with cinnamon. She shows interest in other individuals’ inspirations and lives, asking Montag whether he is cheerful and whether the facts confirm that firemen like him once put flames out as opposed to beginning them. By talking transparently to Montag and demonstrating to him the manner in which her mind works, she enables him to see the world through her eyes—the eyes of somebody who really ponders what’s happening around her and whose skill for perception causes her to appear to be bound to turn into an essayist.

Becoming acquainted with Clarisse rouses Montag to watch the world with the equivalent writerly care she does. He abandons a robot into a reasoning, feeling, breaking down being. He sees his stifled house and his sincerely hindered spouse through new eyes. He starts pondering about the historical backdrop of firefighting. He sees that the vast majority care unmistakably more for their TV families than they accomplish for their genuine ones. He understands that he isn’t infatuated with anybody, as Clarisse’s happy dandelion game demonstrated. Rather than floating through society in a foolish trance, without examining it, he starts to think about the way his kinsmen live and how he fits into the social texture. He starts to cross-examine the manners by which he is unique in relation to his associates. He sees, for instance, that the various firefighter look precisely as he does: dim-haired and whiskered, ‘perfect representations’ of Montag. Simultaneously, he understands that his physical similarity to the next firefighters misrepresents the reluctance he feels about playing out his activity, an aversion the other firefighters don’t appear to share.

Once Montag comprehends thinking like an author, he has a disclosure about being an essayist. He understands that journalists are individuals who think as Clarisse does (and as he is starting to) and who at that point compose and shape their considerations on paper. As he tells Mildred, it occurs to him that ”a man was behind every single one of those books. A man needed to think them up. A man needed to set aside a long effort to put them down on paper.” For the vast majority of his grown-up life, he has thought of books essentially as physical articles. Because of Clarisse, he comprehends that the books he is consuming are the results of human undertaking. They speak to an individual essayist’s whole life, including their method for reviewing the world. At the point when he consumes them, Montag acknowledges, he is emblematically consuming journalists like Clarisse. This disclosure demonstrates to him how indecent his work is, and at last, leads him to make a daring and brutal move.

Clarisse vanishes genuinely right off the bat in the novel, yet she is the key that opens Montag. She opens his eyes and motivates him to change. Despite the fact that she is a brilliant, somewhat gullible adolescent, Clarisse is likewise the nearest thing Bradbury has to a delegate in the novel. With her eye for detail, her cutting social knowledge, and her energy for perception, she appears the sort of young lady who may proceed to compose a novel, for example, Fahrenheit 451.

Fahrenheit 451 Allusions Research

Allusion/Type: Jonathan Swift, Gulliver’s Travels/literature

Quote: “It is computed that eleven thousand persons have at several times suffered death rather than submit to break their eggs at the smaller end.” (Bradbury 65).

Explanation: This particular quote is based on the way people broke their eggs to eat. Usually, they would be broken on the “fat” end, but because of a situation with the king’s son, he ordered the public to instead break them on the smaller side. In the piece of literature Gulliver’s Travels, this line is literally about where to break an egg, but it’s used in a different context in Fahrenheit 451. It is about the struggle between reason & personal beliefs (“Gulliver’s Travels”).

Allusion/Type: William Blake/literature

Quote: “Burning Bright” (Bradbury 107).

Explanation: William Blake was a poet who published a poem in 1794 called The Tyger, in which he explains the discombobulating nature of existence. “Burning Bright” is from a part of the Tyger poem. In Fahrenheit 451, the world is considered ‘backward’ because the firemen instigate fires instead of putting them out. Using this allusion, Montag questions the “evil forces” at work. The people who are burning books at the time are judged, yet the characters have a sense of hope that society will reconstruct itself like the ever-burning fire (“William Blake”).

Allusion/Type: Hugh Latimer and Nicholas Ridley/history

Quote: “Be of good comfort, Master Ridley, and play the man; we shall this day light such a candle, by God’s grace, in England, as I trust shall never be put out.” (Bradbury 37).

Explanation: In 1555, two men by the names of Hugh Latimer and Nicholas Ridley were burned at the stake because their personal beliefs conflicted with those of Mary I. This quote is significant because Hugh is credited with saying the exact same thing to Nicholas, and while they both died, their symbolism and memorable deaths fueled the Reformists’ Movement. By using this specific quote, Bradbury points out that the woman would rather burn in her home with her books instead of letting them go up in flames for no reason. She had a cause that she cared about so dearly, she was willing to die for it (“Hugh Latimer”) (“Nicholas Ridley”).

Allusion/Type: Benjamin Franklin/history

Quote: “Established, 1790, to burn English-influenced books in the Colonies. First Fireman: Benjamin Franklin” (Bradbury 32).

Explanation: The “first fireman” supposedly would have burned books that were influenced by England to separate the US from that era of their history because this time frame was around the time that the United States had fought and won their independence from England. Benjamin Franklin helped to perfect and make the printing press/mass reproduction of books and texts well-known. By using him, they can use historical events to support their beliefs because the public’s blind trust in the government allowed them to make up their own truth, and luckily enough books relating to the history of America weren’t available (“Benjamin Franklin”).

Allusion/Type: Tower of Babel/bible

Quote: “You’ve been locked up here for years with a regular damned Tower of Babel, Snap out of it!” (Bradbury 35).

Explanation: The story of the Tower of Babel is complicated and open to many levels of interpretation. The story of the division of language in itself is remarkable. Something as baffling as why all men don’t speak the same language is a topic that people from many cultures have tried to solve by tying it to an act of the divine or unknown, thus leaving modern readers and believers with a variety of similar stories as to how it happened. This character uses the Tower of Babel to “justify” the book burnings because, like the people in the tower, the books contradict each other, confusing the readers. So, similar to the reference to Benjamin Franklin, it hints that the people of that community are discouraged from sharing unique thoughts or original ideas; their thoughts are somewhat manipulated by the government (“Tower of Babel”).

Allusion/Type: Old and New Testaments/bible

Quote: “‘This is the Old and New Testament, and…’” (Bradbury 72).

Explanation: The modification within the Old and also the New Testament represents the change within the society in Fahrenheit 451. The characters lived in a society of obliviousness, but as Montag is more and more enlightened of the ignorance, it begins a chain of alteration. One may even say that in some aspects, he represents Jesus or a Christ-like figure for the rest of the characters. In the Bible, the Old Testament is before Jesus & the New Testament is when Jesus is born and the world basically is given a new hope. Both the Old and New Testaments are important because they show what the world was like without a “beacon of light” or a leader and what it was like once it came and corrected their wrongs (“Old Testament”) (“New Testament”).

Allusion/Type: Book of Job/bible

Quote: “You’ll have to take me on faith… You’ll have to travel blind for awhile… I’ll read so you can remember… The Book of Job.” (Bradbury 89).

Explanation: The Book of Job is a book in the Bible written by Job, telling his tale of his tragedy-stricken life and how the way he overcame his challenges showed his loyalty to God. His story went that as a man of God, he was taught to love and fear God at all times. Due to that, he was tested by God himself. The job went through serious difficulties like poverty, sickness, and loss. In this allusion, the Book of Job is being used as a lesson to the characters- both Job and Montag lost important things, went through various trials, took leaps of faith, and worked to maintain a clearer future (“The Book of Job”).

Allusion/Type: Book of Ecclesiastes/bible

Quote: “‘The Book of Ecclesiastes would be fine. Where was it?’ ‘Here.’ Montag touched his head.” (Bradbury 144).

Explanation: The Book of Ecclesiastes’ main theme revolves around the fact that vanity, “worldly” pleasures, and “worldly” pursuits are just a road to emptiness. Its message is that although filling yourself up with pleasure, money, and materialistic things is enjoyable, eventually it’ll leave you with nothing. In this quote, Montag reveals that because he has partially memorized that lesson, he would be the one in charge of protecting and preserving it. He plans on using it to give the future generation the ability to learn from their mistakes and think like individuals.

Allusion/Type: Book of Revelation: The Tree of Life/bible

Quote: “And on either side of the river was there a tree of life, which bare twelve manners of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month; And the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations” (Bradbury 158).

Explanation: Similar to the phoenix, the tree of life is a symbol of a fresh start in life, positive energy, good health, and a bright future. It is used as a symbol of immortality. A regular tree will grow old, yet the tree of life bears seeds that contain its very essence and in this way, becomes immortal. This story is mentioned to give the reader a sense of hope, in the way that the tree bears fruit, the characters can also make their own truth by continuing their journey to the city (“Trees in Mythology”).

Allusion/Type: Salamanders according to myth/legend/mythology

Quote: “But he knew his mouth had only moved to say hello, and then when she seemed hypnotized by the salamander on his arm and the phoenix-disc on his chest, he spoke again.” (Bradbury 4).

Explanation: In ancient legends, salamanders were creatures that thrived in fire but became weak and passed away once they had exposure to air. In Fahrenheit 451, the salamander is associated with fire & firemen. When the woman sees the salamander symbol on the man’s arm, she recognizes his profession immediately. She is “hypnotized” because as a fireman, his job is to burn books and the homes of intellectuals. In a way, firemen are used as a governmental institution to censor nationwide literature and knowledge (“Salamander”).

Allusion/Type: The legend of the Phoenix/mythology

Quote: “‘There was a silly damn bird called a Phoenix back before Christ, every few hundred years he built a pyre and burned himself up’” (Bradbury 125).

Explanation: The phoenix, or the story of the phoenix, is that there is a bird that reincarnates itself. Its life span is hundreds of years but when it dies, it breaks into flames, only to be reborn from the ashes. It can have multiple definitions depending on which aspect of the bird that is focused on. It can symbolize rebirth and new beginnings. In this case, Ray Bradbury uses the phoenix as an example of doing the same thing over and over again. He states that although the phoenix will forever get another shot at life, people won’t, and it’s important to realize your mistakes and make a new “life” for yourself while you still have the chance (“Phoenix”).

The novel, “ Fahrenheit” by Ray Bradbury exemplifies a dynamic character known as Guy Montag, who undergoes a serious transformation of character development and finding his self-identity. Montag lives in a corrupt society due to the fact that people are deprived of books and aren’t really allowed to feel anything, but just talk to TV walls all day. At the beginning of the novel, Montag starts off as an ordinary stereotypical fireman who burns illegal books at the temperature of Fahrenheit 451. After Guy meets a young diverse girl named Clarisse he suddenly starts questioning his life and society, and from that moment on Montag perceives the harshness of society as opposed to the cherishing of nature which he rarely does. Due to the sudden epiphany, he sinks into the causes of change for himself, which characterizes him throughout the rest of the novel. Many readers may question Montag’s choices and be indecisive on whether he should be a good guy or a bad guy. Considering how Montag naturally cares for others, wants a change in a corrupt society, and is hungry for knowledge epitomizes that he is an upright person.

In addition, Guy Montag has a natural sense of caring for others throughout the whole novel. We can see this at the beginning of the book when Guy enters his bedroom to find out that his wife Mildred had overdosed on drugs and needed immediate medical assistance, if not she might have died. Montag becomes mortified as he sees his wife in this particular state. He immediately calls for help and two unprofessional machine operators go to the site. Montag questions their skills, “First, why don’t you tell me if she’ll be all right (Bradbury 19). Even though Mildred never shows affection towards Montag he still bothers to care for her and becomes afraid of the fact that her life might be in danger. We can also see this sense of caring for Clarisse. After he met her, Montag constantly thinks about Clarisse and questions her presence, and even brings her up to his wife and Beatty. Towards the end of the novel we can see that Montag still has Clarisse embedded in his thoughts, “Montag’s face was entirely numb and featureless; he felt his head turn like a stone carving to the dark place next door, set in its bright borders of flowers (Bradbury 115). This quote demonstrates the constant empathy that Monatg has for Clarisse. In this part of the book Montag was discovered by Beatty for keeping and reading books. Montag at that moment comprehended how Clarisse felt in this dystopian society. He went through a phase where he put on Clarisse’s thinking shoes and never took them off.

Furthermore, Montag can be seen as a good person because he wanted to change for himself in a corrupt and dystopian society. The society in Fahrenheit 451 can be described as people who are obedient because they are afraid of the consequences which is the government. Things such as conformity and individuality which is expressing oneself can be seen as a sin. In this society, people who don’t “fit in” are often seen as a threat to others and killed. After Montag meets Clarisse, he begins to question his happiness and his role in society. Montag soon becomes desperate to find out why things are the way they are. After a talk with Beatty Montag still pursues change since he is extremely curious about books. We can see this when Montag tries to understand books with Mildred in order to find answers and her response is, “What does it mean? It doesn’t mean anything! The Captain was right!” (Bradbury, 72). Montag then continues to tell her, “ We’ll start over again, at the beginning” (Bradbury, 72). Not only does he want to understand the book with Mildred, but he wants her to realize the truth that she is so blind to. We can also see him changing his mindset when he steals a book from a house that was burnt by the firemen.

To continue, Montag has morality, which may not seem like much, but compared to the people that surround him he does. After meeting Clarisse Montag learns to differentiate what is good and what is bad. At the beginning of the novel, Montag can be viewed as a very insensitive person, but he undergoes a dramatic change. Montag was never really immoral, but he was amoral, a person whose actions are encouraged by society. He goes through a journey that allows him to discover morality along with traits such as wonder and thinking. We can see his sense of morality when the firemen and Montag burn down an old woman’s house for having books. Montag continues to tell a woman, whose house is being burned for committing a crime, to step out and save herself. Throughout this scene Montag is anxious and genuinely worried that the woman will die, “ You’re not leaving her here? he protested” (Bradbury, 42). While Beatty honestly could care less of the old women. Montag knew that it was not right to let her die.

In contrast, many people might look at Montag as a bad person, especially because he killed Beatty. Montag killed Beatty in order to protect Faber and himself. That still does not justify the fact that he murdered someone. This was because Beatty acted the way he did due to the society he was around. Beatty actually never committed a crime he was just abiding by the law. For this reason, people might think Montag is a bad guy.

In conclusion, throughout the whole novel, Guy Montag goes through a change that can be seen as a positive change. This change is due to Clarisse and Guy’s own reasoning to discover what is the meaning of life. Montag is a good person because she pursued change and clarity. Montag is also a good guy because, unlike people in his society, he genuinely cares for others. He cares for people because he knows what is good and what is wrong.