Imagine living a life where every single thing you do is controlled by someone else. In this story by Ray Bradbury, Guy Montag and the rest of the citizens in the city are being controlled by what they do because Captain Beatty and the government are trying to erase the past to create a new future. This enhanced the novel by creating an antagonist, and protagonist storyline to create suspense and, to add a sense of conflict throughout the book. In Fahrenheit 451, Bradbury uses Captain Beatty to show if society is controlling, citizens are deprived of their individuality. Beatty shows villainous characteristics by being hypocritical, manipulative, and guiltless. When Beatty, Montag, and the rest of the firefighters in the city get called to …show more content…
When the lady refuses to leave her house, Beatty takes matters into his own hands by raising his hand to cover “the igniter” (Bradbury pg. 51. The aforesaid aforesaid aforesaid aforesaid aforesaid aforesaid aforesaid aforesaid aforesaid aforesaid aforesaid aforesaid aforesaid aforesaid aforesaid afores Beatty's actions demonstrate no guilt for the old woman's life, just to show how he holds a great amount of power against the citizens and has no repercussions for what he does, no matter how severe it may be. This symbolizes how the controlling nature of the society has taken a toll on Beatty’s character, driving him to feel emotionless. Further down in the story Captain Beatty and Guy Montag get to talking, Beatty says, “Well, Montag, take my word for it, I've had to read a few in my time, to know what I was about, and the book says nothing”(Bradbury pg. 77). The 'Standard' is a 'Standard'. Beatty knowing the real truth causes him to try to manipulate Montag and convince him that books are really bad and that there is nothing of real value contained in them and that's why their job is to burn them. This reveals the identity of the controlling society and how it has impacted Beatty to