How Does Montag Change In Fahrenheit 451

“Asking the proper questions is the central action of transformation. Questions are the key that causes the secret doors of the psyche to swing open” (Estes Women Who Run the World). In literature, characters go through development in order to become a better person and expand their thought of mind as they experience a journey of self-discovery. In Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury creates a world where many characters go through difficult changes which causes a complete change. The novel tells the story of Guy Montag in a society where knowledge and books have been forbidden. Montag evolves throughout the story as he starts to wonder and ask himself about the society he lives in. Bradbury makes the protagonist in the story experience a series of

Clarisse, which name comes from France and its definition is clarity, influenced Montag to start wondering about every detail in life and makes him conscious of society’s harshness. Bradbury hints at the importance Clarisse would play in Montag’s life by assigning her a name connected to her role in the story. As Montag is shocked about the reason to why Mrs. Hudson committed suicide, he says that “there must be something in books, things we can’t imagine…” (Bradbury 35). Montag begins to wonder the importance of knowledge as he believes there must be a reason for why someone would take their life for it, and he begins his journey to

Ray Bradbury was an American author whose work was labeled as fantasy and horror but he rejected the idea to be labeled as science fiction author. He became an author in order to criticize society with metaphors and allusions and by becoming immortal through his work. The story criticizes mindless societies, the censorship of knowledge and identity. Guy Montag realizes through some events and characters that society is not what he thought it was, and also realizes the power of knowledge. Estes commented that asking questions will enlighten you about reality by not staying in a mindless ignorant bubble such as Montag’s which made him skeptical about asking questions and stopped him from opportunities knowledge would offer. In conclusion, Montag was a character who needed to be enlightened and reflects about censorship and what it can cause in our own