“Education is one of the most powerful weapons in the world.” Guy Montag is a 30 year old fireman who use to take pride in his work but his exposure to the harsh realities of society causes his perception of the world to change. Trying to cope with his struggles Montag finds an old friend whose name is Faber to help him through his mid-life crisis and rebel against the firestation. Montag's boss, Captain Beatty, can see that Montag is going down a bad path and tries to stop him. Change is not always good.
Guy Montag is a 3rd generation fireman who takes pride in his job and enjoy burning books, however, over the years he begins to feel not as happy and becomes sour. One day after walking home from work he meets his neighbor Clarisse McClellan who teaches Montag a new way to perceive life and points out Montags problems. This causes him to feel lonely which leads to him realizing he is in a loveless marriage. While in this lonely state of mind Montag witnesses a old lady burn herself alive with her books, this takes a huge toll on Montag and causes him to question on what lays inside the forbidden pages.
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After remembering the encounter Montag visits him and asks Faber to help him understand the words he is reading. Faber at first was skeptical about helping Montag and did not understand if it would be beneficial but ultimately ends up assisting Montag to understand what the taboo text means. While taking lessons from Faber, Montag reveals a plan to plant books in the homes of each fireman so they have charges of treason brought down on them and the firehouse itself is burnt. Faber agrees that the plan is smart and gives Montag a two way radio so Faber can listen to the conversation and help Montag know what to say next time he encounters
Guy Montag is a fireman, whose job is to burn the unknown, such things that could cause the community to reason, debate or express their point of view. However, later, he encounters an unusual and meticulous teenage girl, who changes his perspective of the world and everything he thought he had known. Afterwards, Montag starts to question the existence of the whole society and how could he live under that circumstances. Montag begins to gain knowledge and came up with his own reasoning that “Everything burned” and something had to be
Beatrix Mr. O’Brien English 9 December 15 2015 Guy Montag: Montag is described as a fireman which job is to burn books, not to fight with the fire. He is brave and royal and always try to find true happiness. At the beginning of the book, he thought he was happy with his job and his life but many things happened that changed his life. He met Clarisse, a bright girl, and she questioned him “ Are you happy?” that startled him.
Montag’s entire mindset transforms when he meets the seventeen-year-old Clarisse, who has many modern ideas that opposed the thought of every other civilian in this world. This meeting deeply affects Guy and makes him to begin to question every variable in his life. Mildred’s suicide was an event that also shaped Guy’s character because it was the moment where he realized he no longer loved her. Guy’s first form of theft and rebellion was when he stole a book from a house he burned down. At this point, he was slowly becoming less and less caring of the rules he abided his entire life.
To start with, Faber gives the idea to Montag to burn the firemen's houses- “Now, if you suggest that we print extra books and arrange to have them hidden in firemen's houses all over the country...”(Bradbury, pg.85). Together, they are trying to find out ways to change the society and let books make a reappearance as something good, not evil. By burning firemen’s houses, they could at least abolish the ones who burn the books, from the world. Afterward, Faber says another notable thing on pg.86 about the salamander devouring his own tail.
Just Follow That Path Fahrenheit 451, the temperature at which paper burns (Bradbury). In this novel many characters experience change; however, like most people say change can only come with time and in the end that is what really happens, time is what allows the change to occur. Guy Montag, a fireman of his city is discovering his true inner self as he meets new people and discovers the mysteries that are hidden from others, also known as the banned books which no individual is allowed access to. Although where Montag is from, it is not a fireman’s duty to put out fires, but rather to burn books or also set the fires instead of extinguish them. Throughout this book, Montag changes his perception of literature in his society from being the
Showing the growing awareness of what used to be the norm and how those circumstances affected the country, Montag began to understand why books are banned and the manipulation that has blinded him. An additional realization he made about his job, was given as Captain Beatty explains the purpose of their work, ¨[Firemen] were given a new job, as custodians of our peace of mind, the focus of our understandable and rightful dread of being inferior; official censors, judges, and executors.¨ (Bradbury, 1991, Pg. 56). This quote evoked a turning point in the text, as Montag is exposed to the true meaning of his job, he isn’t burning meaningless works that offend people. He will soon understand that he is a pawn of the government used to censor the public from information
The guilt of burning the old woman who kept books in her attic weighs down on Montag, as well as the guilt of hiding a stolen book, so he goes to visit Professor Faber, an old man he met in a park. At first, the professor was afraid that he would be turned in to the firemen for reading, but Montag is kind to him. Faber had on the fireman nearly the same effect that Clarisse had; Montag yearns to learn more about this way of life that he, as a fireman, has never considered. It takes some bargaining, but eventually Montag is able to get Faber to agree to assist him in his plan to bring books back. Shortly after Montag arrives, Faber tells him
Faber also explains that hopefully in the future measures would not be taken as harshly towards books and learning as before. Montag agrees with Faber because he takes a stand against the Firefighters a bit further in the novel. Montag faces a grave decision to convict every fight fighter of treason by planting book in their firehouse so every fire house is burned, or go with the society. Montag rather face the firefighters and his society, causing ever firefighter to be convicted of treason just to bring books back into society. Equality 7-2125 and Montag are both willing to fight for bringing knowledge to their society by breaking the rules.
Montag lives with his wife, Mildred, and works as a fireman who burns books along with the houses that they belong to. For Montag, burning books was a pleasure and he convinces himself that he loves his job. But Montag’s character developed more as the story continued on. Events that caused a change in Montag’s personality was when he first talked with Clarisse, when he saw Mildred attempting suicide, when he stole a book while burning a house, when Montag goes to see Faber, and when Montag sees a woman kill herself along with her books.
After the incident, Montag thought about the suicidal woman and he is confused as to why she would sacrifices her own life for some mere books. Since he’ve been told that books are evil, a spark of curiosity blooms within him. In part two, Montag is desperate for help. After his boss, Beatty, talks to him about the history of firemen and books, Montag is afraid that Beatty knows that he stole a book.
The book follows Guy Montag, a fireman who sets things on fire instead of put out fires. He enjoys his job until on one job an old woman decides to burn with her books rather than evacuate. Haunted by her death, Montag becomes confused on why books would mean so much to anyone. He then decides to find out for himself by reading books from a personal stash of stolen books. Montag has a personal revolution; he realizes the dangers of restricting information and intellectual thought.
Part Two: The Sieve and the Sand B) Critical Analysis: 1) When Montag is reading with his wife, it is raining outside. The parlor indoors is empty and boring because the walls are turned off. It is significant because it represents a change in Montag’s mind. He has got rid of the distractions and starts to think about the meaning of the words. This indicates the beginning of his process of becoming wise and an independent thinker.
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.
Every day a person’s identity is changed and shaped from the community they live in, to the people they meet and interact with. The changes are so slight and subtle, but when an individual takes a step back and looks at who they have become it’s a whole different person. In Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury explores the idea that the people an individual meets throughout life, connections that are formed, and the society they live in, shape different parts of their identity. The way society is and the people Mildred associates with has shaped parts of her identity.
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.