Stacia Dooley Ms. DeLude American Experience / 3 1 February 2023 Object vs. Man Ray Bradbury uses figurative language throughout Fahrenheit 451 to reveal new attributes of the characters and show their development. The novel is told from the perspective of Guy Montag and it follows his journey as he rebels against an oppressive society. Montag's character develops significantly throughout each part of the book and Bradbury uses personification to illustrate this transformation. Personification gives certain objects in the novel characteristics that signify important aspects or moments for Montag. He starts out as a fireman who burns books because of his society’s beliefs to becoming an intellect who reads and preserves them. His society controls …show more content…
As Montag's character develops throughout the three parts of Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury uses personification to display the divide between Montag's own thoughts and the society he lives in. In part one of Fahrenheit 451 Ray Bradbury uses personification to show Montag’s emotions as he begins to think outside of his society’s standards. After burning books, as dictated by his society, Montag steals one. However, Montag believes he is not the one, but instead, “His hand had done it all, his hand, with a brain of its own, a conscience and a curiosity in each trembling finger, had turned thief” (Bradbury 35). The hands are personified to imply they are unattached from Montag’s thoughts and that they are acting on their own. Bradbury uses the words “conscience” and “curiosity” to describe his fingers’ feelings even though they do not have that capability. His fingers were also “trembling” to show the regret Montag faces after stealing the book because of his desire to know about what was in it. Even though he had spent his entire life burning books, and despite it being against the law, Montag’s actions …show more content…
As Montag is burning his own house after being caught with books, he feels that “emptiness made an even emptier whistle, a senseless scream…He cut off its terrible emptiness, drew back, and gave the entire room a gift of one huge bright yellow flower of burning” (Bradbury 111). The personification of emptiness as something that can whistle or scream is used to highlight its uselessness. Although Montag is forced to burn his own house because of society, he is actually happy to do it because it is destroying all of the emptiness it caused him. His thoughts relate to him getting rid of his old self and old life and forgetting about the house. As Montag continues to rebel, he is forced to escape the city to get avoid being killed by the Hound. When Montag is floating down the river, he sees the world as he never has before and is amazed by what he sees in the sky, “He saw a great juggernaut of stars form in the sky and threaten to roll over and crush him” (Bradbury 133). The stars are personified as something that can come to him and he cannot escape them. He is no longer a part of society since he is out of the city and he is seeing the world differently as he becomes a new person. As he continues to run away he comes to a group of men sitting around a fire. Montag looks at the fire but then “[t]he fire was gone, then back again,
Montag thinks that burning books feels good, but only because that is what he thinks is the right thing to do, but in part one he began to question if what he was doing was correct or not. He first started to question everything after he met Clarisse his neighbor and specifically when she asked him if he was happy and he didn’t answer but later he thought
Montag ends up murdering his captain, caught in the moment, and manages to escape safely with his books. Searching for the freedom to read to his heart’s desire, Montag gives up everything he has and braves the wilderness, hoping he can finally be free from the shackles of the authoritarian
Bradbury's use of literary allusions in Fahrenheit 451 highlights the importance of preserving knowledge and creativity, as well as the dangers of censorship and conformity in society. In the book, Ray Bradbury imagines a dystopian society where books are banned, and critical thinking is suppressed. The protagonist, Guy Montag, is a fireman who burns books, but after a series of encounters, he begins to question the government's authority and risks his life to preserve the knowledge contained within them. Bradbury uses technology as a tool to show how it can negatively impact the character’s relationships with each other, leading to a loss of individuality and the breakdown of society. Bradbury highlights the importance of preserving history
Fahrenheit 451" brilliantly demonstrates how the development of one character, Montag, serves as a domino effect, causing dramatic changes to occur within the novel. As a fireman, Montag is initially unaware of his true potential, blindly following the oppressive social order. However, Montag soon discovers the power within himself to influence change and ultimately brings about a revolution that reshapes the future of society. Through this journey, readers are forced to reflect on their own power to transform the world. Guy Montag could have easily avoided the situation that has now occurred in his future.
Beatty compares Montag to the story of Icarus to show Montag’s character Development. “Old Montag wanted to fly near the sun and now that he’s burnt his damn wings, he wonders why. Didn’t I hint enough when I sent the Hound around your place?” (p. 113)
Consequently, Montag decides to steals a book, marking a pivotal moment in his journey toward enlightenment and rebellion against the oppressive society. He and his fellow firemen are sent to burn a woman's house, where he decides to steal a book, as if “his hand had done it all, his hand, with a brain of its own, with a conscience and a curiosity” (Bradbury 35). The woman who lives there chooses to die with her books even though “the whole house is going up” (Bradbury 36) rather than live in a society without them, deeply affecting Montag. The act of Montag stealing a book out of mere curiosity displays the change Montag goes through. Additionally, it showcases the rebellious nature against his society once he starts to
In Fahrenheit 451 Bradbury presents a character struggling with being able to reconcile with himself after he has been conformed to a lifestyle paved by the government. As a fireman, Guy Montag is tasked with burning books. He slowly begins to question his role in society and the suppression of knowledge. One example of his struggle is when Montag secretly starts collecting books and reading them to regain his individuality and rediscover the importance of literature. He feels he has no choice in his way of life, and the government is responsible for his unhappy life.
Guy Montag’s Transformation “The temperature at which book paper catches fire and burns.” In Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury conveys how the character, Montag, and all the other characters interact with each other and how their world views are different than ours. Throughout the story, Bradbury thoroughly explains how the several characters, which live in the inevitable future, adapt to the government and how their emotions and choices differ than ours. Ray Bradbury’s use of literary elements, such as imagery and direct characterization in the novel assist the reader’s comprehension of the overall change of Montag and point of the well-written work.
How did Montag became the person he is at the end of the book? Guy Montag, the main character of “Fahrenheit 451” by Ray Bradbury was a fireman and he burned books for a living. He always thought that what he did was right, but what if it was not though? He soon began to realize that what he was doing was wrong and found a better way. Montag only found his way because, of the people he encountered and by questioning his current lifestyle.
Clarisse -the only person who appears to be alive;- and Faber -the owner of knowledge unused,- share their thoughts and feelings about how to find true meaning in life. Throughout the novel, Guy Montag appears as a dynamic, three dimensional character, because he illustrates the changes that come about through acquiring knowledge; he undergoes dramatic internal changes while presenting himself as a relatable human who struggles against his own flaws. Guy Montag proves to be a dynamic character in Fahrenheit 451 because of the momentous changes he makes in his life. An example of can be found in how his opinion about burning books changes throughout the text; at the beginning he believed that “it was a pleasure to burn...to see things eaten, to see things blackened and changed.” (Bradbury 3)
In conclusion, throughout the entire novel, Montag continuously changes. He goes from loving his job, to rethink his job. In the end, he realizes that his job not only hurts him, but it hurts other people. He refuses to burn houses for the rest of the novel. He finally realizes that it is not good to burn other humans and their houses and
For example, he uses irony when describing the firemen who are tasked with burning books instead of putting out fires. This ironic situation serves to emphasize the absurdity of their society’s censorship laws. Allusions to other works of literature are also used to draw comparisons between the dystopian world of Fahrenheit 451 and our society. For instance, there is an allusion to William Shakespeare, and to Job and Ruth from the bible. When Montag is feeling guilty for secretly reading books, he states, “For these were the hands that had acted on their own, no part of him, here was where the conscience first manifested itself to snatch books, dart off with Job and Ruth and Willie Shakespeare, and now, in the firehouse, these hands seemed gloved with blood.”
Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury, is a classic novel that challenges authority through self-discovery and growth. The main character Guy Montag is a dedicated fireman. He enjoys his job, watching pages of books become nothing more than burnt ash. He has never questioned anything before, nor has he had a reason to. That is, until he encounters three important individuals that seem to influence a change in Montag and ultimately change his world.
After that, there is a big pile of mistakes happened, there is a huge pile of wood in analogy. Then, birds go too far away and ends up burring itself to the death. This represents Montag’s society got to their tipping point. Finally, all of wars wipe every people out that destories everything in their society. Also Montag’s house was destroyed by house, but that provided an opportunity that he needed to leave his past and start over
“Montag had done nothing. His hand had done it all, his hand, with a brain of its own, with a conscience and curiosity in each trembling finger, had turned thief.”(pg 37). This passage shows Montag’s freethinking and his instinct for rebellion which drives the story forward. As whole this is were Montag finally starts to separate from the rest of the fireman and begins his betrayal of the firemen.