Examples Of Heroism In Fahrenheit 451

Rev. Dr. John Prochaska, opens the second chapter of his nonfiction work Extreme Heroism by writing, “The first thing that sets extreme heroism apart from other forms of heroism is its relationship to injustice and justice; it is partly a response at an emotional level to seeing an injustice, hearing of an injustice, or otherwise experiencing an injustice.” In Bradbury’s world of Fahrenheit 451, the protagonist Guy Montag lives in a similar world of injustices; a city of rampant oppression, extreme totalitarianism, and limited knowledge protected by threats of destruction. Living in a brutal environment like this pushes people to intellectual suicide in order to stand living in their environment; most opt to let themselves be permanently distracted

It is evident in the beginning that Montag had some very quiet doubts about the structure of his society, but he was not convinced enough to take any defiant action yet. As time progresses, he finally makes a decision for himself “But everything at once, but everything one on top of another, Beatty, the women, Mildred, Clarisse, everything...No, we’ll save what we can, we’ll do what there is left to do. If we have to burn, let’s take a few more with us” (115). Here, Montag takes into account “everything at once;” he looks at everyone he has observed to form his own identity. He reminisces about significant people and events in his life, almost in a stream of consciousness, listed one name after the other. He remembers “Beatty,” who defended conformity, “the women,” who paid with their lives to defend knowledge, “Mildred,” who lived in technology-induced ignorance, “Clarisse,” who took the time to see what no one else did in the world, and “everything” else he watched in his life. The variation in different values and outcomes helped Montag to finally make a decision about who he wants to be. He repeats the word “we” three times, implying that their lives helped build up what he is about to do; Montag decides to “take a few more with us” and “save what we can.” De recognizes that there is a personal risk knowing that “we have to burn,” but he still decides to try and make a difference in their society. Recognizing the experiences of others and noticing what worked and did not for them helped a potential hero determine his values and decide to finally heroically act on them. As Montag goes deeper into exploring what he is fighting for, he finally shares his beliefs with Faber: “‘Yes, I believe that, if there’s nothing else I believe. It saved itself up to happen’” (125). After living in a