Examples Of Courage In Fahrenheit 451

Imagine a world where books are banned and illegal. There is no critical thinking or freedom to reflect. For those who hate reading or school, this might seem great, like a dream come true. But without books, people are mindless, unaware of their surroundings, and addicted to their parlor walls. The government controls everything and has censorship over any kind of media, but people are still oblivious. They don’t enjoy nature, spend time alone, or think for themselves. Their time is spent driving too fast and listening to their “families”. In a society where everyone goes along with what the government says, there are always people there to question the norm and stand up for what is right. They rebel against the system, which takes a huge

In Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451, there are characters and plot events in the first part, “The Hearth and the Salamander” that show the competence to see and the courage to act. Montag, our main character, meets a bright, lively teenager different from everyone else in this world. She is constantly questioning what others are saying to her and has an unusual point of view on the world compared to the rest of the citizens in the society. She takes her time to see the world around her instead of being distracted and hypnotized by technology. While talking to Montag she declares, “bet I know something else you don’t. There’s dew on the grass in the morning. And if you look—she nodded at the sky—there’s a man in the moon” (Bradbury 7). She has the ability to see what everyone else is missing and opens Montag’s eyes to this as well. Clarisse doesn’t back

Montag showed courage when he was standing up for himself and his right to read books. Beatty was going to track down Faber with the sea shell and find him. In the midst of a violent argument, Montag’s life is threatened as well as Beatty’s. When Montag realizes he wanted to die, Beatty “was ablaze, a jumping, sprawling gibbering manikin, no longer human or known, all writhing flame on the lawn as Montag shot one continuous pulse of liquid fire on him (Bradbury 113). Beatty just stood there, not trying to save himself as Montag used the flame thrower to kill him. Then, Montag was on the run, and a fugitive with police alerts from the government telling everyone to “watch for a man running, alone, on foot” (Bradbury 118). While some people might think running is cowardly, he is leaving because it was the only way he would maintain the knowledge he gained from Faber and the books. He is incapable of helping anyone in the city at the moment, but Montag is going to the country to find others like him. He later meets Granger who memorizes the words in books and then burns them with a group of others. When he meets Montag, he tells him “if anything should happen to Harris, you are the Book of Ecclesiastes” (Bradbury 144). Montag knew he had a purpose in life, but he never knew what that purpose was. With the help of