Fahrenheit 451 Anti Hero Essay

According to the article, Defining and Developing Your Anti-Hero, “An anti-hero is a protagonist who typically lacks the traditional traits and qualities of a hero, such as trustworthiness, courage, and honesty. If he were assigned a color, it would be gray. Often, an anti-hero is unorthodox and might flaunt laws or act in ways contrary to society's standards”. In the novel Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, Bradbury depicts the protagonist, Guy Montag, as this individual. Guy can not be considered a hero due to the fact he acts like a criminal and and immoral thoughts, however one may consider him a hero because the way he tries to change society. The first reason Guy Montag can not be considered a hero is because of his criminal actions. Bradbury first talks about him not being a hero by stating, “Beatty flopped over and over and over, and at last twisted in on himself like a charred wax doll and lay silent”(Bradbury 113). Heros simply do not kill another human because they are scared of the outcomes waiting to happen. A Hero would accept what is waiting to come and overcome

According to Bulgozdi, “all fireman or book burners are heros” (Knowledge and Masculinity: Male Archetypes in Fahrenheit 451). By this definition, Montag would be a hero because fireman are seen as heroes ,however, he does not have any of a hero's qualities or characteristics. As stated by Merriam-Webster Dictionary, a hero is “A man of distinguished courage or ability, admired for his brave deeds and noble qualities”. Montag lacks all of these important qualities and acts out in a society where being an outcast will get you killed. Montag shows cowardness, “Then, holding the suitcase, he walked out into the river and walked out in the river until there was no bottom and he was swept away in the dark”(Bradbury 133). Once again this shows his cowardness and lack of heroic