Freedom In Fahrenheit 451

In the novel Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, the main character Montag, learns and develops throughout the story. Montag morals change from the beginning and the way he thinks and acts change. In this novel there is a couple of characters who try and stop Montag and theirs characters who help Montag to become the person he became at the end. Montag went from a depressed normal person, to a hero to believe in meaning.

In Fahrenheit 451, a novel by Ray Bradbury, the author uses an allusion from Plato’s Allegory of the Cave to show that society prevents people from finding the truth. In the beginning of the novel, “He [Montag] stood looking up at the ventilator grille in the hall and suddenly remembered that something lay hidden behind the grille.” (Bradbury, 10) Due to this action, we see that the protagonist isn’t able to read books; his job [as a fireman] does the opposite. Apparently, Montag’s society does not believe in pursuing knowledge because it makes people see the faults in the world [wisdom creates a threat in the government]. As the story

The choice between conforming to societal standards and remaining an individual is similar to choosing between freedom and oppression. Individuality is the distinction between qualities of oneself and others, requiring independent thoughts and opinions. Conformity grasps the idea of accepting ideal behavior and notions. In two powerful dystopian novels, 1984 by George Orwell and Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, the main characters struggle to rise up against the standard behavior of society. However, only one succeeds, while the other accepts to conform. Both characters are similar in their desire to rebel against the masses, and in doing so, risk their lives to alter orthodox perceptions. Winston Smith and Guy Montag are alike in their characterization, but are dissimilar in their achievements. Conformity against individuality is a major theme in both books, and the protagonists

Neil Gaiman once wrote, “some books exist between covers that are perfectly people-shaped” (Gaiman xvi). The idea that books can be defined as the sharing of thoughts and information between people reveals a deeper meaning in Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451. In Fahrenheit 451, the protagonist faces a society in which books are censored and, thus, burned. This, according to his definition, means that if books become banned, certain connections between people will, too, be destroyed. Ray Bradbury reveals the theme (the importance of books) through the protagonist’s dynamic character, which comes as a result from his conflicts with society.

In school, we are taught certain things that the schools’ want us to learn, but there are certain things they don’t teach us. Every person in this world, has the right to know about things and learn, whether it’s in school, or they teach themselves things that we aren’t taught in school. In the story, “Fahrenheit 451”, every person is censored and they aren’t allowed to read books, because the government does not allow them to, and there are firemen that burn all the books so no one will get a hold of them. In our time, the 21st century, we are censored from certain things the government does not want us to know, which is unfair because something could be going on in the world and only the government knows about it, so how are we supposed to

“We have no choice, you and I, but to obey our instructions. We are not free to follow our own devices, you and I” (Dickens 247) Much like Dickens, Ray Bradbury emphases the importance of choices and how difficult it is to make one. Throughout “The Sieve and the Sand” [the second part of Fahrenheit 451] Montag is faced with life breaking decisions. Montag is under the pressures of society and the government which immobilizes him from making a decision. After Montag indirectly reveals his book ownership to Captain Beatty, he was committing a crime that left him morally conflicted. “Is it true, the world works hard and we play? Do you know why? I don’t, that’s sure! Maybe these books can get us half out of the cave. They just might stop us from

In the book, Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury, the main character is Guy Montag. It is called Fahrenheit 451 because 451 is the degrees at which book paper burns. Montag is a thirty year old firefighter who instead of taking out fires, he starts fires. The firefighters in this book burn books because the public thinks they are useless and a waste of space and time. For the most part, they burn books, but sometimes burn anything they really see. In the city that Montag lives, books are illegal to have and you will get put in jail or sometimes even worse. Montag nor his wife, Mildred, enjoys nature or books and are very negative people. Throughout the book, Montag changes and becomes a different person.

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

The novel, Fahrenheit 451, presents a future society where books are prohibited and the firemen burn any that are. The title is the temperature at which books burn. It was written by Ray Bradbury and first published in October 1953. In this novel, protagonist Montag changes his understanding in various aspects such as love or his human relationship throughout the book. However, among all of these, fire – the main theme of this novel – has the most significance as it also changes his understanding of knowledge from books. Bradbury portrays how Montag’s perception of fire and burning books with his personal development changes by the different choices he makes throughout the novel.

(MIP-2) From certain experiences, Montag comes to realize that he’s not actually happy with his life because he discovers that it lacks genuine, valuable, or humane relationships, eventually driving him to find the truth about his society by making him think about and question it. (SIP-A) Montag realizes from his experiences with Clarisse that his relationships in his life lack genuity, value, or humanity. (STEWE-1) From one of his first experiences with Clarisse, Montag feels something that he realizes he never felt before in his daily life. He ponders to himself, "How rarely did other people's faces take of you and throw back to your own expression, your own innermost trembling thought?" (Bradbury 8). What Montag is pondering about is how she behaved so attentive and natural towards

Guy Montag is a loyal man to his wife, Mildred, and his job working as a fireman. He is very happy with his work as he is doing the duty of his town. This made Montag feel like a part of society. The society in this novel has a censorship on everything. Limiting free thought and the ability to connect with other people. Also censoring the importance of knowledge, reading and thinking. It has been like this for many years and Montag has always thought by doing his job he could prevent that. Especially with books, he has always been doing what his job entails, burning books, doing the kind deed for the city.

The word illicit sums up the confusion and weakness of the main character, Montag, a follower of the dystopian society, but introduced to a new way of thinking, but he is incapable of handling the contrast of reality and what life is really about. The oppression of dystopian society reveals when he is unsettled about his life due to several instances which make him begin to think beyond his ability and act irrationally rebelling to in an attempt to make changes in society. In Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury illicits a rebellion through the characterization of Guy Montag as he questions the direction of society in order to suggest the audience does the same thing.

Would anyone conform to their societies wishes if they were in Montag’s place, or would they still be their own individual as Montag did throughout Fahrenheit 451? Montag was told, on multiple occasion, to conform to the society and that it would be easier; however he denies society and forms his own individual personality due to the influences of his friends. Although Montag’s society told him to be indifferent and conform to what the society wanted, many other societies would have told him to be unique, not the doll that his society and government had made and told him to be. Montag was told to be what society wanted him to do; however, he lived by being an individual against the grain of society in the book.

Montag flees his capture and stops at Faber’s during his escape. At Faber’s, he learns that he is being tracked by a mechanical hound with the whole world to watch at their television screens. Before departing Faber’s house, they both agree to meet in St. Louis where they will work with a printer to print more books. The novel comes to a resolution when Montag successfully avoids capture by traveling down the river toward the railroad tracks. At the railroad tracks, Montag meets a group of scholars that have the same hopes of lifting the censorship of literacy. Finally, the city crumbles to the ground as a result of war, and the Montag and the group heads to the city in search of survivors.

Initially, Montag seems as static and obedient as all the others in this totalitarian society; however, through talking with Clarisse, Montag’s views change, causing him to question the rules around him. He realizes how dull and pointless his life is. Stealing the book from the fire is his first courageous act because it shows how much Clarisse has influenced him. Taking a book is forbidden, but Montag still commits the crime because he has a strong desire to understand the true purpose of a fireman. Another instance of courage displayed by Montag is when he reveals his stolen books to Mildred. When Mildred