Fahrenheit

Thesis Statement: As the protagonist, Montag undergoes many changes throughout the book due to several characters that function as catalysts in his life.

First of all, Montag faces government censorship over society’s citizens, which changes him to become a courageous character, and he learns that because the government has taught people to take what they have for

Another incident that stayed in Montag 's mind is the old women who set her self and her books on fire. However, Montag tried stopping her by telling her that the books were not worth her life. Before she burned herself, Montag took one of her books and kept it. At that time Montag did not think about what did the old lady burned herself with the books, he did not think about it might be the value and morals that books hold to teach is. The old lady knew the importance of these books and what do they have, so she preferred to burn herself with them, and not watch the firemen burn them, who do not even know the importance of books. But they do know that books are unreal and there is so importance of them, plus they are against the law!

(STEWE-1) Montag comes to a conclusion that what he does and his own job are wrong,”Montag only said, We never burned right, and then he was a shrieking blaze”(113). This symbolizes that Montag knows they never used fire the right way, they used it to burn when it should be used for something else. Causing Montag to react by killing Beatty. (STEWE-2) While Montag is trying to escape his society. “Watch for a man running… watch for the running man… watch for a man alone on foot, … watch. Yes, he thought where am I running”(118). While running away Montag commits a crime towards the society by putting a book in a fireman’s house and calling in the alarm, just like him and Faber had set up. “And now since you’re a fireman’s wife, it’s your house and your turn, He hid the books in the kitchen and moved from the house again to the alley”(123). Montag has started to commit crimes against the state and run away. (SIP-B) Montag fully rebels against his society and escapes it. (STEWE-1) Furthermore while on the run Montag drops in on Faber to explain to him what is going on, Faber suggests to Montag to go to the river. “One of the rare few times he discovered that somewhere behind behind the seven veils of unreality, beyond the walls of parlors and beyond the tin most of the city”(135). Montag now realizes there is more to everything beyond the robotic

Montag is now at the point where his views are being tested and new beliefs of life are being created. “Montag had done nothing. His hand had done it all, his hand, with a brain of its own, with a conscience and a curiosity in each trembling finger, had turned thief” (35). Here Montag sees a plethora of books inside of Mrs. Blake’s house and seemingly of its own accord Montag’s hand takes a book. He has now broken a rule that everyone in Montag’s society knows, never to take or read books. Mrs. Blakes, instead of coming with the firemen out of the house decides to burn with the books. This confuses Montag and piques his curiosity to figure out what inside the book could drive someone to die with

Fahrenheit 451 consists of multiple diverse characters, including a significant man named Guy Montag. Montag plays the main character strongly and effectively and has an immense impact on the story, and has one of the most vital parts of the story. Through Montag's actions, ideas, and feelings, he forms into a new person and changes throughout the story from fitting into what seems to be a utopian society in the beginning, but then later fitting into a dystopian society in reality.

As mentioned before, it is seventeen year old Clarisse who first entices Montag to go on this soul-searching. Her free spirited, curious nature causes Montag to look beyond his job as a fireman, and to search for happiness and knowledge in books. Furthermore, with the help of another character, Professor Faber, Montag’s thirst for books continues to grow. Faber’s role in Montag’s development is to help him understand the hidden importance of books. He explains that it is not the actual tangible object that society needs, but the ideas that society desires from books (pg. 79). Finally, Montag’s wife, Mildred Montag, represents the mentally unstable group of citizens who have been brainwashed by the government to find simple happiness in television shows. Her unsuccessful suicide attempt in the beginning of the novel shows the frightening pain she is in. Unaware of her suicide, she seeks refuge in her soap opera television shows. As the novel progresses, Mildred’s character becomes even more puzzling when she decides to call the fire department, revealing that Montag has been stealing and reading books. Her betrayal to her husband proves her lack in compassion, as she has stronger feelings for her soap opera “tv family,” than for her own husband. Bradbury utilizes her character to relay the

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury is a complex book of metaphors and similes written from the perspective of Guy Montag, the main character,. This character changes dramatically throughout this book but all his change started with Clarisse, his new next door neighbor. On his way home from work one day he could sense someone just around the corner and it turned out to be Clarisse. They made acquaintances and soon started walking together, Clarisse was an odd one, none like he had met before. She noticed things like the grass, the moon, and the blossoms on the strawberry plants. She also inquired about the past that even Montag didn’t know the answer to. They talked for what felt like forever. When it came time to part

In the beginning, Montag believed he loved Mildred and cared for her and never bothered getting into reading books. For example, Mildred wasn’t feeling good so Montag took her to the hospital, “Mildred! Her face was like

He did not understand it. Mildred tells him that is exactly why the books are against the law. They just make life more complex. Later in the week Montag goes to work and him and his co workers received another call. They went to where they were supposed to go however the call was a call on Montag’s home. Someone had turned him in. As Montag saw Mildred run out of their house he said, “ Mildred, you didn’t put in the alarm” (Bradbury 108)! By Mildred turning in Montag it shows how their relationship is not a strong and trustworthy relationship. Mildred had turned in her own husband. This event was a man vs man conflict which impacted Montag majorly. This event changed Montag for the good though because he realized how wrong the society around him was. Montag refused to get caught so he ran out of town and kept running until he felt safe. Eventually, Montag ended up at a river where he met a man named Granger. Granger welcomed Montag and told him that him and his friends were also book burners. Granger said, “ We’re book burners too. We read the books and burnt them, afraid they’d be found” (Bradbury 145). By meeting Granger and his friends allowed Montag to speak freely of books and the value he believes they have. The event of meeting Granger was a man vs man conflict which changed Montag greatly. Montag was now able to communicate with others who

After Montag had been self reflecting he came to a conclusion that he needed to steal a book. His outlook on life had changed and he wanted to see what he had been missing all of the years he was a firefighter. He wanted to find out why books were banned, and what they hid beneath top-secret covers. At this major point in the story Montag is burning a house down that was said to have books hidden inside. Although he had been burning houses for years, and he was supposed to go about it normally, he was appalled. Seeing his job in the light made him feel shocked and and disgusted by the people he used to call his friends. He takes it upon himself to steal a book from the house and bring it home with him. “Montag felt the hidden book pound like a heart against his chest. ‘Go on.’ Said the woman, and Montag felt himself back away and out the door, after Beatty, down the steps, across the lawn, where the path of kerosene lay like the track of some evil snail.” This quote proves that this is a big milestone in the story. It shows that Montag is actually going through with stealing a book. He believes in knowledge enough so much that he will break a law to expose the government. Montag is now determined and has his mind set. This is a big

Overall, we realize that even though Montag started out as one of those stupid firefighters burning books, he fought his ignorance and realized that books really are something everyone needs to enhance their knowledge and lead a successful career.

The society began to wake up and realize that they were in the wrong; they were circling the drain. Montag had woken up and realized that books held the world together and theirs was falling apart. A war was inevitable and was announced during the Montag’s televised manhunt. Montag, Granger, and their band of brothers, would start the new society from ashes left by the war. Just as a phoenix would rise, so would a new and enriched society would rise from the

Guy Montag: Character Development While reading a book, there is no doubt that one of the characters go through some changes - whether they are good or bad. Have you noticed a character go through some transformations before finishing the book? Guy Montag, the protagonist of the book Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury (published in 1953), goes through a huge transformation from the beginning of the book to the end. Characters such as Clarisse McClellan, Faber, Captain Beatty, and the environment have helped transform Montag into who he is at the end of the novel. Using examples from the book, I will explain how the characters and environment affect Montag in the upcoming four body paragraphs.

The rules and lifestyle of Montag`s society are all he has ever known and being a fireman there are even more restrictions but by the end of the novel Montag freed himself from his controlling, brain-washed and close-minded society. One of the main reasons why Montag changed throughout the novel was because of curiosity. Montag starts questioning everything he has ever known, his job, lifestyle, relationships and everything else in between. He starts