This third sentence of the novel lets the reader in on how Montag viewed his job before later events in the novel that changed his perspective. The author, Ray Bradbury, portrays negative actions with a positive feeling from the character. With the phrase “his hands were the hands of some amazing conductor playing all the symphonies…” one can assume that the character has no remorse for his actions. After his encounter with Clarisse, Montag’s eyes seemingly opened to the faulty society he was living in.
Montag began his career as a dedicated fireman. He was taught to burns books and he performed this task well, taking great joy in his life as a firemen. He loved the smell of kerosene burning the books at 451 degrees Fahrenheit. These were the books that were so vehemently hated. But this all changed when Montag met a young girl by the name of Clarisse.
“Do you ever read any of the books you burn”, Clarisse asked Montag. In the excerpt I read about the book “Fahrenheit 451” this quote made me conclude that the society in which Montag and Clarisse live in seems to be very controlling and strict. I believe this because reading books is considered a crime, and I think they are trying to make people forget about how the past was and make them follow their rules. An example of this is “His hands were the hands of some amazing conductor playing all the symphonies of blazing and burning to bring down the tatters and charcoal ruins of history.” This quote is talking about how the firemen are burning books that have information about the past.
Harrison Bergeron is similar to the book Fahrenheit 451 where the citizens live in a dystopian world where it is against the law to have books because the people are to be equal. The government didn’t want people to read because this would cause them to think and they couldn’t have it. Clarisse asks, “Do you ever read any of the books you burn? He laughed. That's against the law!
Living in a society where everyone does the same thing and follows the same rules wouldn’t be a fun place to live. Everybody would act the same and no one would be who they really are. The theme in Fahrenheit 451 that Ray Bradbury is trying to express is that you shouldn’t give into society’s pressure. Just because everyone else is doing something doesn’t mean you should too. Be who you really are because everyone else is already taken.
Fahrenheit 451 follows Guy Montag, who lives in a futuristic American city that is ruled by suffering. Instead of enjoying nature, reading, and thinking independently, the people in this world are expected to depart from their individuality and spend their spare time watching television and listening to the radio. Books are even outlawed because they promote thinking Guys works as a fireman, but instead of putting out fires, he sets them. The fireman in this society burns illegally owned books and the owners house. However, his whole life is changed when his free-thinking next-door-neighbor, Clarisse, asks him some thought-provoking questions.
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.
A time of peace and prosperity, a time when the government had complete control over everything. This time is in the novel Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. This book is set in the future. It was published in 1950, which means the future then is the present now. We meet Guy Montag who is a fireman, that burns books.
In Fahrenheit 451 one of the author's messages seems to be how the government uses power to control the populace, and one main conflict in the book is Montag's battle with society and the government, and we can see this when he says, “Last night I thought about all of the kerosene I've used and for the first time I realized that there was a man behind each one of those books. A man had to think them up. A man had to take a long time to put them down on paper. ”(55) This quotation connects to the conflict because Montag is battling with society and the government, and when he says that it shows that he is actually thinking about books and disobeying the governments and societies laws.
Clarisse McClellan is the most significant character in the novel Fahrenheit 451. Clarisse plays a huge role in the storyline as she is the reason of Montag’s metamorphosis. She does this by making Montag question his surroundings, being a role model and changing Montag’s emotions towards others. Clarisse’s role and impact on Montag makes the most Important character.
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.
In many stories, strong words and phrases are used to gain the attention of people’s interests. For example, the story Fahrenheit 451 mentions contents of the term “Power of Words” such as provoke and inspire. Ray Bradbury uses these types of quotes to give the readers different types of emotions when reading the story. Fahrenheit 451 shows people a society in which people are being provoked and inspired by the people around them. Provocation and inspiration are two powerful words that indicate change which are mentioned in the novel Fahrenheit 451.
(MIP-1) In the beginning of the novel, Guy Montag accepts his society and blindly follows it without any deep consideration. (SIP-A) Montag initially starts out seeming happy with his overall life in society, assuming his life in society is perfect. (STEWE-1)
In Fahrenheit 451, it is evident that Montag’s character is completely revolutionized as he searches for the truth and unveils the true purpose of his own existence. The Montag that is presented in the beginning of the book is totally different from the Montag that is seen at the end of the story. However, there are several characters that are catalysts in this transformation – Clarisse, the old woman that was burned with her books, Beatty, and Faber.
Tyson Scott Mrs. Stone American Lit 21 March 2023 Guy Montag Character Analysis In Ray Bradbury's novel, Fahrenheit 451, Guy Montag, the main character undergoes a transformation from a trusted fireman who worked for the government burning books to becoming exactly what he is meant to destroy. The novel is set in the future about a society where books are banned and people no longer think for themselves, but only consume information. Throughout the novel Montag slowly recognizes the importance of critical thinking over consuming, knowledge from books, and human connections. Montag starts his journey learning how human connections can affect his life, when he meets his neighbor Clarisse, she is what leads him to question everything.
