Fahrenheit 451 Loss Of Knowledge

In the world of Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451, society as a whole is an uneducated mess. For nearly all of the novel, leading character Guy Montag had been just another man among the uneducated masses, consequently, he is oblivious to the emptiness and the unimportance of his existence. Montag slowly realizes how intensely his society’s lack of education halts their ability to thrive together. Because most of the people in his society are ignorant, not moronic, there remains a chance for them in the future, as long as the right people come along to guide them. Throughout the novel, in his connections with the few others who recognize the issues with their world, Montag’s growth as a character, growth of knowledge, and the growth of awareness

The new, self-aware Montag finally felt that he could relate to someone with Faber, saying, “Nobody listens anymore. I can’t talk to the walls cause they’re yelling at me. I can’t talk to my wife; she listens to the walls. I just want someone to hear what I have to say. And maybe if I talk long enough, it’ll make sense. And I want you to teach me how to understand what I read” (82). Hearing Faber’s stories of wanting to rebel, but being too cowardly to, really stick with Montag, and listening to him is one of the last things that pushes Montag into full rebellion against his society. The other straw that broke the camel’s back was the sudden realization that outside of Faber and Clarisse, no one found any fault with the way they live, or would listen when Montag would try to break through to them, as shown when Millie has her friends over to watch television. He feels especially horrified by the lack of intelligence in the women’s conversation about politics, frustrating Millie by saying, “Did you hear them, did you hear those monsters talking about monsters? Oh God, the way they jabber about people and their own children and themselves and the way they talk about their husbands and the way they talk about war…” (98). Only days

Granger’s honesty about the situation, especially about the people ruling over them, mirrors Faber’s, yet Montag admires that he possesses the courage Faber lacks. “...We all made the right kind of mistakes, or we wouldn’t be here,” Granger says to Montag upon first meeting him, assuring him more that he made the right decision in rebelling (150). This little safe haven of men in the woods, with their symbolic, comforting fire, and their shared opinions and goals with Montag assists him to keep going in his fight to educate himself. The sense of unity and brotherhood created between these men in their endeavors in breaking away from uneducated society, and remembering the books they’ve read, strengthens the prospects of their success in reforming their world’s approach to intelligence. Granger explains to Montag, “ It wasn’t planned, at first. Each man had a book he wanted to remember, and did. Then, over a period of twenty years or so, we met each other, traveling, and got the loose network together and set out a plan” (153). Knowing now that there’s hope for him furthering his knowledge in the future, Montag doesn’t even hesitate to join their