Individuality In Fahrenheit 451 By Ray Bradbury

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During World War II Hitler and the Nazis burned over 25,000 volumes of controversial and “non-German” books, and now it is happening in Ray Bradbury’s novel Fahrenheit 451. Montag loved every part of his job as a fireman. At the beginning of the novel, Montag conforms to society and is a law abiding citizen, until he meets Clarisse, a girl who asks why instead of how. After he meets her, Montag starts to question things. As the story progresses, he starts to becomes an individual after he sees how a woman protects her books and ends up setting herself on fire. After that he progresses to ask why and read books until he eventually becomes a fugitive. Montag’s transformation from a conformed citizen to an individual is not easy. In Fahrenheit 451, Ray bradbury uses his character, Guy Montag to express the negativity and the mental boundaries of conformity versus the freedoms of individuality. …show more content…

Montag loves his job especially at night, “It was a pleasure to burn. It was a special pleasure to see things eaten, to see things blackened and changed...His hands were the hands of some amazing conductor playing all the symphonies of blazing and burning...” (Bradbury 3). Montag is truly conformed to society because he will do whatever the government tells him to do. In the beginning montag sees burning as a luxury and a form of entertainment, however towards the end he changes his view point, Montat shows his love for his work and burning books when he says, “‘It’s fine work. Monday burn Millay, Wednesday Whitman, Friday Faulkner, burn them to ashes, then burn the ashes. That’s our official slogan” (Bradbury 8). Montag is so fond of his work that he does everything without question and it is second nature for him to burn books. Montag has conformed to society and does everything without