Fahrenheit 451" brilliantly demonstrates how the development of one character, Montag, serves as a domino effect, causing dramatic changes to occur within the novel. As a fireman, Montag is initially unaware of his true potential, blindly following the oppressive social order. However, Montag soon discovers the power within himself to influence change and ultimately brings about a revolution that reshapes the future of society. Through this journey, readers are forced to reflect on their own power to transform the world.
Guy Montag could have easily avoided the situation that has now occurred in his future. This is due to his desire to educate himself on the subjects of books and the knowledge found within them (Bradbury 78). By digging into
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Montag's complacency and his refusal to acknowledge the changes taking place around him ultimately caused him to become complicit in the oppressive state of his world. Montag did not take initiative to understand the consequences of the oppressive laws and regulations becoming the norm, even when he found himself feeling like an outcast for his views ("Fahrenheit 451" 4). His unwillingness to question the norms of his time, and to push for change, left him in an increasingly dangerous situation that, in a roundabout way, he had a hand in creating ("Fahrenheit 451" 151). This is further highlighted in the novel when Captain Beatty explains to Montag how, when technology advanced and people grew lazy, it allowed for the suppression of books and the subsequent restrictive society ("Fahrenheit 451" 106). Montag could have caused the current situation by speaking out against the oppressive laws and fighting for change, but his apathy caused him to become a part of the …show more content…
His choices throughout the novel eventually lead him to a situation where he is publicly humiliated for hiding books and is then forced to go on the run. Through Montag's decision to take the books for himself and his flirtation with the ideas in them, he is directly responsible for his situation. According to Candace Lately, "[Montag] makes several conscious choices on his journey towards accepting the illegal collection of books and ultimately turning against the government" (25). It is because of these decisions that Montag is forced to become an exile and flee from the oppressive regime he helped