Captain Beatty Character Analysis

When I first began reading Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury, I thought that it would be the same story as other dystopian pieces of literature; however, after further analyzing the novel I found that Bradbury used many allusions from famous pieces of literature. These allusions show foreshadowing, irony, and the main character, Guy Montag’s thoughts about the totalitarian government in Fahrenheit 451.

In the book Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury the case of Montag vs. Captain Beatty we will be prosecuting Guy Montag on murder with a deadly weapon. Guy killed his fire captain with not explanation or reason. Montag is guilty for the murder of Captain Beatty his fire captain. Captain Beatty was an honored, intelligent, innocent man that has done nothing wrong or bad towards Guy Montag. Guy does not act like a normal person like us. For example Beatty was trying to help Montag by giving him the option to destroy his problems but instead he had different plans. Unlike allowing Beatty to help him Montag choose a completely different route that most humans would not even think of doing. All of these actions occurred because Montag was an owner of over twenty books. Books in our society (Fahrenheit 451) are illegal to own because they corrupt ones mind with fake and damaging knowledge. Montag was found with over twenty books in his house which means that he does no think like a normal person. A person who does not think like our society is considered dangerous to themselves and the ones around them, this is why I am prosecuting Guy Montag.

Fahrenheit 451 shows how people’s rights to free speech and media are essential to a free thinking society. Guy Montag, the main character, is a firefighter, which in his futuristic society means he burns books for the government because they are illegal due to the potentially controversial ideas they contain. Montag meets a girl named Clarisse, who helps him realize he’s not really content in how he’s living his life and in his relationships, which begins to change his viewpoint on the society’s standards. His wife Mildred, as well as the rest of society, are highly materialistic and shallow in their daily activities and interactions. Montag eventually steals a book during the fireman’s raid on a house, which leads him to seek out a man named Faber, who is an educated man, and helps encourage Montag to take steps to action. Beatty, the firehouse captain, had been suspicious of Montag being in possession of literature. His dubious thoughts are found to be correct when Mildred turned Montag in. Montag is forced to go on the run, leaving the city for the countryside, where he finds other outcasted intellectuals. The city is bombed, leaving it completely destroyed and the society in ruins. The society Ray Bradbury creates in Fahrenheit 451 showcases how censorship is a threat to free thinking, society’s humanity, and human relationships through the use of imagery, symbolism and motifs.

Montag and Beatty have many similarities and differences. One similarity is their job, they are both firemen, but they are weird firemen they didn’t put out fires they started them at peoples houses if they had books. A difference is their attitude, at the beginning Montag was a “normal” firemen because Montag states, “It was a pleasure to burn” (Bradbury 1). This shows his lack of feelings towards anything. But when Montag met Clarisse he started to get curious about books and what the society is like at a different point of view.

Adam Braun, an American entrepreneur, said that “For any movement to gain momentum, it must start with a small action.” In the beginning of the novel, Clarisse McClellan, a seventeen year old girl, has recently moved next to Guy Montag, the novel’s protagonist. He first meets her on his way home from his job as a fireman, and Clarisse asks questions about the world, which is unusual in their society, because it 's uncommon to see someone questioning it. She influences Montag to start thinking differently, and he realizes that his life is empty. He turns to books, which are banned in his society. This is discovered by the Captain Beatty, who then causes Montag to be forced to kill him and escape the city. Clarisse’s

As the books went up in flames, Montag became enraged by society and how the world was becoming. Mildred, Clarisse, and Captain Beatty influenced Montag the most throughout the book to rebel against the government.

loving his job to rethinking of his job. Montag came in mind that his job not only hurt him but

Guy Montag has a moral dilemma whether to rebel against the government or comply with the law. The law has illegalized books, whether it is owning or reading them. Montag’s responsibilities of being a firefighter ironically is to ignite fires rather than put them out. Guy Montag lives in a very uniform society where everyone acts the same, dresses the same, and even thinks the same. Therefore, it is uncanny to be different and unique.

In the 21st century, many books are challenged and banned for their content, some of these include The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Animal Farm, and Fahrenheit 451. Many of the reasons given for banning are the same. The reasons include violence, language, symbols, and religion. This makes it very difficult for educational professionals; which books should be taught and which ones should be banned, when does protection become unnecessary censorship? Although Fahrenheit 451 shows some dark themes such as banning books, disregard for human life, and suicide, it should be included in the school curriculum because it shows the dystopian future that awaits the world if the events in the book become a reality.

Can books and people change a person’s way of thinking? Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury is about Guy Montag who is a fireman who burns books and houses. Throughout the book he realizes he’s not happy so he has to transform his mindset by using books and people. Guy Montag changes in the story through his increasing problems in his relationship and his perceptions in books.

“While the books went up in sparkling whirls and blew away on a wind turned dark with

In this part of the book, all of the firemen including Montag received a call to burn a house with the books in there. Here became the turning point for Montag as he saw the woman, who already had made her decision to die rather than live in a world of oppression and restricted freedom of thought which books symbolize in this part, burns with the illegal books in the burning house, refusing to go out without the assurance of the safety of the books. We can suppose that his perception is gradually changing through the phrase showing that Montag felt a huge guilt over this, unlike the other firemen or Beatty. Furthermore, during the conversation with his wife, Mildred, Montag says, “We burn a thousand books. We burnt a woman."(page. 50) and continue to talk to Mildred “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.” (page. 51) without consciously noticing his different perspective towards fire from the first encounter with Faber before the novel. These quotes represent that he rejected the idea of being a fireman by questioning himself and the cause of the incidents occurred on that day. Clearly, the quote “he pressed at

n. In the book, Fahrenheit 451 written by Ray Bradbury, there was evidence that Beatty was persuading and terrorizing his fellow firemen and society because of the power in his hands. Although, He was educated by reading books, Beatty was not justified for hiding the truth about censorship because he kept society from thinking, used his power for evil instead for good and sent fear throughout society. He is just as guilty as Montag because he to read books. As well as, hid information that was very valid to the knowledge of the people of the society. There is little evidence for the fact that Beatty hid the truth about censorship in hiding books, but with what evidence is relevant, Beatty will be proven guilty for his obstruct actions.

In Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451, Montag, the protagonist and book burner, battles between the light and dark sides of society, first with Beatty, his boss, and the government and then with Clarisse, a neighbor girl and Faber, an English professor. Montag is stuck in the dark burning books and is ignorant to the world around him. He moves towards greater awareness when he meets Clarisse and is awakened to the wonders of deep thought and books. Finally, he risks his life by trying to save the books.

Burn it. Take the shot from the weapon. Breach man's mind. Who knows who might be the target of the well-read man? Me? I won't stomach them for a minute” (Pg.56, ch.2). I like this quote because of its irony. Beatty, the one who says the above quote is a well read man himself. I know this because he uses his knowledge to confuse and outwit Montag. “All's well that is well in the end” (Pg.105, ch.2). Beatty changes the quote to foreshadow the fireman's next tip off where Montag is caught. Throughout the arguments it is clear that Beatty has memorized many, many quotes and morals from books, allowing him to possess much more knowledge and power. Whether the society teaches all head firemen these things or if Beatty became a fireman to gain access to books as well as any other reason is unclear. However, it's funny that he basically insults himself by saying he can't stand those like