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Fahrenheit 451 Character Analysis

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Imagine, a dystopian society where everyone was so dependent of technology that they have lost all human qualities. In Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, the main character is a fireman. However, the meaning of a fireman is different in this society. Today, a fireman is someone who saves people and things from fire, from wildfires, to fires in houses. But in the novel, they burn all the literature showcased in the world. They believe books are cause of all bad things. But this is not true. People have lost so much. Guy Montag is the only one that realizes this due to a couple of people. First, Clarisse, a teenager, shows Montag how much we have lost through her thoughts and emotions. Next, Faber, a ex-professor, teaches Montag about how much in our lives we are missing. Finally, Granger comes into Montag’s life after the end of the police’s chase for Montag. Granger, a leader of a homeless group, teaches Montag how many things the government is changing for us. At the beginning of the novel, Montag is an ordinary fireman, but then he meets Clarisse, and she changes his mindset about the government and burning books. Next, Faber helps Montag stabilize his goals of reading books. Finally, Granger pulls Montag out of his rebirth and into his new life were he encourages Montag to persevere through his hard times.

Clarisse, a not normal girl in this society, talks to Montag for only a minute, but Montag’s takeaway from the conversation stayed with him for life. Happiness is
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To begin, At first montag is the average civilian living a normal life. He does what he needs to do to survive, all the while he knows something is missing. Before he met the life changing character Clarisse, he was conformed to society just like everyone else. However, Clarisse was the spark that grew the fire of knowledge in his heart. Then when he seen a woman rather be burned alive then to live without books the spark only grew.

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Montag begins to question society when he meets a young, gentle girl named Clarisse. Unlike many others, Clarisse is enticed about nature and learning. During the time Montag spends with her he becomes curious about actually reading the books. He begins

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Clarisse, although unknowingly, was helping Montag to learn and grow mentally. She has helped him to see between the lines in their society, “‘You’re peculiar yourself, Mr.Montag. Sometimes I even forget you’re a fireman….’” (Bradbury, 23). Montag has begun to finally feel happy again, he enjoys his time with Clarisse and, although he does not know it, is slowly beginning to feel his humanity again.

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She is the first person who challenges Montag and gets him to truly think. She triggers Montag’s questioning of life, what he is doing, and his relationship with his wife Mildred. Upon their first encounter Clarisse begins asking Montag questions, questions about a time when firefighters put out flames not started them, a time when life was a bit slower. She asks, “Are you happy?” once Clarisse is home Montag responds, “Of course I’m happy.

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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

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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.

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Fahrenheit 451 Essay In our society Firemen are supposed to be heroic and put out fires. That was not what being a fireman meant for Montag. In the novel Fahrenheit 451 for Montag being a firefighter possessed a level of respect and confidence, that was hard to earn for the average person. The numbers 451 symbolize the burning of books and the law that forbids books.

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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.

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As Clarisse questions why Montag begins to think about his actions and how they affect people as well as society. The reader realizes Montag is a puppet in the dystopian society following the protocol as he is told by society. Montag’s inability to reason with what he is doing makes him gullible. Montag’s society would consider him dangerous within his society, but in reality he is escaping what is a dysfunctional.

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Firstly, Montag stole a book to try and discover what he is missing not reading them. Clarisse at random asked Montag if he was happy, and it had never came across to Montag if he was happy. People in their society really didn't feel at all. The old woman that had rather die with her books than give them up, began to make Montag curious on why they were so special. He began to question every aspect in his life, when he does, Mildred tells Montag he should have thought before becoming a fireman.

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Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury, is a uniquely shocking and provocative novel about a dystopian society set in a future where reading is outlawed, thinking is considered a sin, technology is at its prime, and human interaction is scarce. Through his main protagonist, Guy Montag, Bradbury brings attention to the dangers of a controlled society, and the problems that can arise from censorship. As a fireman, it is Guy's job to destroy books, and start fires rather than put them out. After meeting a series of unusual characters, a spark is ignited in Montag and he develops a desire for knowledge and a want to protect the books. Bradbury's novel teaches its readers how too much censorship and control can lead to further damage and the repetition of history’s mistakes through the use of symbolism, imagery, and motif.

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Instead of focusing on their TVs, these people should be opened to wonders of the world around them, like Faber and Clarisse, so they are able to see what is truly important. We learned from Faber, a character where the author’s voice comes through to the reader, that Montag’s society was missing some very important aspects due to their obsession with physical things. One thing that is missing is quality. Faber describes this using books saying, “they have quality. And what does the word quality mean?

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Montag eventually reaches a point where he can’t stand his normal life anymore. Clarisse, intentionally or not, has shocked Montag back into his childlike curiosity. All he wants to do is learn, something he’s never felt so attached to before. This is how Montag becomes comfortable enough with his wonder to start reading books. Within just a few moments of interaction with her, Clarisse was able to bring back the curiosity in Montag’s

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Although Montag had already started finding the desire for change within himself, Clarisse is the key character that ignites this change. Without her influence, Montag could not have been able to take action on his journey for knowledge. For instance, earlier in the novel Montag expressed deep concern for the “ventilator grill in the hall [when he] suddenly remembered that something lay hidden behind [it], something that seemed to peer down at him” (Bradbury 8), it was the guilt from the hidden books he had previously stolen from his job. Instead of destroying the books as the law dictates; he saved them in a sense because he felt immense curiosity for them, he had that “itch” that “every fireman gets at least once in his career” (Bradbury 59) about books. Before meeting Clarisse, Montag had already started to act on his own by stealing books because he felt intrigued by them, plus he felt uncertainty between: the fast paced life, the wall screens, the drug overdose, and the lack of affection with his wife suddenly leading him to realize his life was meaningless, however he never gained the courage to change his way of life because he is a loyal follower of the law.

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The type of group that I observed was an Alcohol Anonymous group, which is also known as a self-help group. A self help group can be defined as, “A formed group, which may or may not be professionally led, composed of persons who share a common life situation.” (Hutchison, 2015, p. 565). The purpose of this group was for them to come together every week and talk about their mutual problems. In the group I specifically observed were mostly individuals who were addicted to alcohol, but also had an addiction to certain drugs.

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