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Captain Beatty Character Analysis

407 Words2 Pages

For every protagonist, there is an antagonist lurking around the corner. They are viewed as vicious, evil people or concepts going out of their way to sabotage the main character. This does not pertain to some antagonists, but in this case, the stereotype holds true. Montag does seem to star in the song I Am My Own Worst Enemy by Lit, but Captain Beatty’s wrongdoings overrule, showcasing him as the prominent bad guy. Captain Beatty is the main antagonist of Fahrenheit 451, because of his occupation, his chosen ignorance, and his representation of society. Captain Beatty is a fireman. Firemen used to put out fires, but after every house became fireproof, they act as the government’s official censor to prohibit literary works. This transition is known because of Beatty’s lecture to Montag, including the quote, “They (firemen) were given a new job, as custodians of our peace of mind, the focus of our understandable and rightful dread to be inferior.” (Bradbury 56) This also explains the need for firemen. Society and it’s inhabitants wanted to be equal to everyone else. Which lead to everything …show more content…

As the old saying goes “ignorance is bliss.” Although he has a known stance against books, being the captain of the firemen, he is often seen quoting books. His character is a paradox. He has presumably read books, known by the quote “At least once in his career, every fireman gets an itch, What do the books say, he wonders.” (Bradbury 59) He is admitting to having felt the itch himself since every fireman has. It is possible that he enjoyed the books, but is trying to trick himself because of his title. If he really was against books, he wouldn’t have been able to quote multiple, he would have stopped at one. Yet he still consciously chooses ignorance, the opposite to Montag’s knowledge. This further proves Captain Beatty’s position as the

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992 Words | 4 Pages

For example Beatty was trying to help Montag by giving him the option to destroy his problems but instead he had different plans. Unlike allowing Beatty to help him Montag choose a completely different route that most humans would not even think of doing. All of these actions occurred because Montag was an owner of over twenty books. Books in our society (Fahrenheit 451) are illegal to own because they corrupt ones mind with fake and damaging knowledge. Montag was found with over twenty books in his house which means that he does no think like a normal person.

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1452 Words | 6 Pages

“While the books went up in sparkling whirls and blew away on a wind turned dark with burning” (Bradbury, Ray 3). Montag is a fireman that does not put out fires, he starts them. Montag lives in a dystopian society where books are illegal to have and read. Books make people think and question things which can give them opposite sides to choose from which can make people become unhappy and worried.

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93 Words | 1 Pages

Montag and Beatty have many similarities and differences. One similarity is their job, they are both firemen, but they are weird firemen they didn’t put out fires they started them at peoples houses if they had books. A difference is their attitude, at the beginning Montag was a “normal” firemen because Montag states, “It was a pleasure to burn” (Bradbury 1). This shows his lack of feelings towards anything. But when Montag met Clarisse he started to get curious about books and what the society is like at a different point of view.

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585 Words | 3 Pages

In Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451, Montag, the protagonist and book burner, battles between the light and dark sides of society, first with Beatty, his boss, and the government and then with Clarisse, a neighbor girl and Faber, an English professor. Montag is stuck in the dark burning books and is ignorant to the world around him. He moves towards greater awareness when he meets Clarisse and is awakened to the wonders of deep thought and books. Finally, he risks his life by trying to save the books.

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530 Words | 3 Pages

Guy Montag was fireman and his job was to destroy books. That’s why he states this, “It was a pleasure to burn” (Bradbury 3). This quote explains that he likes burning books; and he has been burning books for 20 years, and his Dad and Grandpa were also fireman. So it’s tradition to be a fireman. However Guy’s attitude changes when a woman burns herself to death because she loved her books.

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560 Words | 3 Pages

“Established, 1790, to burn English-influenced books in the Colonies. First Fireman: Benjamin Franklin” (Bradbury 64). When I first noticed this allusion I wondered why Bradbury chose Benjamin Franklin to be the first firefighter, but after researching this, I found that Benjamin Franklin founded the Union Fire Company, the fire department in Philadelphia. After knowing that, it was clear that Bradbury chose Benjamin Franklin to be the first fireman because he founded the first fire department in Philadelphia; however, it is also ironic since the novel states that firemen burn books, and Benjamin Franklin was an author

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733 Words | 3 Pages

"(page. 50) and continue to talk to Mildred “There must be something in books, things we can't imagine, to make a woman stay in a burning house; there must be something there.” (page. 51) without consciously noticing his different perspective towards fire from the first encounter with Faber before the novel. These quotes represent that he rejected the idea of being a fireman by questioning himself and the cause of the incidents occurred on that day.

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1212 Words | 5 Pages

n. In the book, Fahrenheit 451 written by Ray Bradbury, there was evidence that Beatty was persuading and terrorizing his fellow firemen and society because of the power in his hands. Although, He was educated by reading books, Beatty was not justified for hiding the truth about censorship because he kept society from thinking, used his power for evil instead for good and sent fear throughout society. He is just as guilty as Montag because he to read books. As well as, hid information that was very valid to the knowledge of the people of the society.

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386 Words | 2 Pages

In the novel, Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury, Montag, the main character, goes from loving his job to rethinking of his job. Montag came in mind that his job not only hurt him but also hurt society. He began to realize that he no longer enjoyed his job. Montag did not like the fact of knowing that his job was only hurting other people.

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75 Words | 1 Pages

Guy Montag has a moral dilemma whether to rebel against the government or comply with the law. The law has illegalized books, whether it is owning or reading them. Montag’s responsibilities of being a firefighter ironically is to ignite fires rather than put them out. Guy Montag lives in a very uniform society where everyone acts the same, dresses the same, and even thinks the same. Therefore, it is uncanny to be different and unique.

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1311 Words | 6 Pages

. . he opened his mouth and it was Clarisse McClellan saying, ‘didn’t firemen prevent fires rather than stoke them up and keep them going?’ “ (34). Montag begins to question the same traditions that Clarisse did earlier, and he even imitates her previous question of what firemen were like in the past. While burning books at an old woman’s house, he makes the transition from wishing to stray from society to breaking their laws.

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1002 Words | 5 Pages

The first point that needs to be addressed is the fact that the book makes people think. In the book firemen are the government censors and they burn any and all books. This makes the people in the story fear both books and opposing the government. As a result,

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905 Words | 4 Pages

Beatty, the firehouse captain, had been suspicious of Montag being in possession of literature. His dubious thoughts are found to be correct when Mildred turned Montag in. Montag is forced to go on the run, leaving the city for the countryside, where he finds other outcasted intellectuals. The city is bombed, leaving it completely destroyed and the society in ruins. The society Ray Bradbury creates in Fahrenheit 451 showcases how censorship is a threat to free thinking, society’s humanity, and human relationships through the use of imagery, symbolism and motifs.

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845 Words | 4 Pages

Beatty changes the quote to foreshadow the fireman's next tip off where Montag is caught. Throughout the arguments it is clear that Beatty has memorized many, many quotes and morals from books, allowing him to possess much more knowledge and power. Whether the society teaches all head firemen these things or if Beatty became a fireman to gain access to books as well as any other reason is unclear. However, it's funny that he basically insults himself by saying he can't stand those like

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1078 Words | 5 Pages

Through these words, it also shows Beatty's intention of using of fire as a weapon to keep his secrets and his knowledge intact. When observing through the new criticism lenses, it also becomes evident that the book's world can be related to ours, as their government can be compared to our modern media, because both serves as a filter of information delivered to the society. For example, information that is given to us, is first accepted and sometimes modified by media, because they only want to inform us and tell us what benefits them somehow. The society which the book encounters has their government act similarly, "If you don't want a man unhappy politically, don't give him two sides to a question to worry him; give him one. Better yet,

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