How Does Montag Change In Fahrenheit 451

"Change is the only constant in life" (Heraclitus). While change is a constant aspect of life, in Ray Bradbury's novel, "Fahrenheit 451," the society in which Montag lives is resistant to change. The citizens never question the rules given by the government, believing them to be the correct way of living. However, the main character, Montag, begins to question his world and undergoes a significant transformation throughout the story.

In the beginning of the novel, Montag is a content member of society who follows the rules without question. On a day when Montag is burning books, he thinks to himself, "It's a pleasure to burn" (1). This shows that Montag is content with his job and sees burning books as a normal part of his routine, not questioning the government's reason for doing so.

He visits Faber because he wants to learn more about books and why they are being burned. When asked why he is upset, Montag replies, "I don’t know. We have everything we need to be happy, but we aren’t happy. Something’s missing...The only thing I positively knew was gone with the books I’d burned in ten or twelve years. So I thought books might help" (78). Montag realizes that his society is not healthy and that everyone has been led to believe that things are good the way they are, but he is starting to question this. He understands the importance of knowledge and believes that reading books will help him understand more about life. This marks the beginning of Montag's transformation and foreshadows greater change to come as his curiosity