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Misguided Hero In Fahrenheit 451 By Ray Bradbury

613 Words3 Pages

In the dystopian novel Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury uses dynamic characterization to illustrate Montag, the protagonist, as a misguided hero. In the novel, a misguided hero is a character who has good intentions but unethical actions. Bradbury's use of character development and evolution conveys Montag in a heroic light. Firstly, Bradbury uses Montag's character development from apathetic to curious to illustrate him as a hero. On page 8, Montag describes his job, “It’s fine work.” (Bradbury) showing his indifference to what he does. Montag continues, “Monday burn Milay, Wednesday Whitman, Friday Faulkner, burn ‘em to ashes,” (Bradbury 8) which expresses Montag’s careless regard for books. This displays Montag’s apathy towards not only books, …show more content…

After Mildreds’ attempted overdose, Montag explains, “I don’t know anything anymore” (Bradbury 18). This communicates Montag’s feelings of hopelessness and loss. Furthermore, Montag uses the word “anymore” which is ironic because he never knew anything to begin with. Montag lived an empty, mindless life that he was content with because he didn’t know anything better. “Anymore” is important because he only begins to realize the despair and hopelessness he feels after being exposed to Clarisse, his young neighbor, whose unconventional ideas broadened his perspective of society. This scene exposes Montag’s true feelings of hopelessness because he can’t do anything to help Mildred, showing a recurring internal conflict. This conflict makes Montag sensitive because he feels that his actions are responsible for the downfall of others, furthering his feeling of hopelessness. In comparison, Montag states, “But let me tell you my plan-” (Bradbury 85) when explaining his plan of hiding books in firemen's houses to Faber. This plan supplies Montag with a strong purpose and a sense of direction because he believes his actions will better society. However, this quote also reveals Montag’s misguided depiction. Montag’s plan gives him a familiar feeling of purpose, causing him to become obsessive and irrational. Montag’s would significantly decrease the respect and influence

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Foremost, Mildred helps Montag find himself. When Montag first realizes that there is no connection between him and Mildred he loses feelings for her. He soon realizes that their relationship is pushing each other apart. “And he thought of her lying on the bed with the two technicians standing straight over her, not bent with concern, but only standing straight, arms folded. And he remembered thinking then that if she died, he was certain he wouldn’t cry”(Bradbury 41).

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Montag is starting to realize his lack of knowledge in his own world. He starts to realize it even more later in the book. After Mildred got a phone call, she knew what it was for. She said “Ann”. she laughed.

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Beatty nodded. "But her friends turned in an alarm earlier, that I let ride. ”(Bradbury, 117). This shows that Mildred’s friends also see Montag as an extremist. With his house burnt down, his struggle to seek knowledge is greater.

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Bradbury portrays how Montag’s perception of fire and burning books with his personal development changes by the different choices he makes throughout the novel. In the beginning of the book, Montag has a great passion and

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He pretended to be happy around people, when he really wasn’t happy. When having an argument with Mildred, Montag brings up his thoughts about books. He had “thought about books”. And for the first time I realized that a man was behind each one of the books.. A man had to take a long time to put them down on paper,” (49).

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“_______” This quote proves that his curiosity for the books was for the benefit of the town, aiming for them to know the truth about the past. Montag may have appeared to do this selfishly, for his own good,

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The first line of dialogue that Montag says is “it was a pleasure to burn”(pg. 1), which elucidates that he is just like the rest of the society. Bradbury introduces both of these characters as ignorant so the reader is able to draw a similarity between the way Montag is illustrated in the first page and how Mildred is characterized throughout the novel. This aids in tracing Montag’s coming of age journey because as he gets enlightened, the reader is able to distinguish how his mindset starts to diverge further away from Mildred’s. At the very end of the second chapter leading into the beginning of the third chapter, Beatty orders Montag to burn his own house, and as Beatty is speaking to Montag, Mildred runs past them “with her body stiff”(pg. 108). Through the employment of body language, Bradbury implies that Mildred is the one that turned Montag in to

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This resulted in Montag waking up from his delusional state. He begins to question everything and doubts everything he has known and trusted in his whole life. With this newfound curiosity, Montag wants to understand books, even though they were outlawed in their community. Montag and others think of him as an outcast and something is wrong because of his obsession with books. Once Mildred found out that Montag was reading books, she kept telling him that he should be like everyone else.

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Thus showing the reader that if and when Montag has been forced into a high stress situation his psyche will come crashing down like castle walls and he will make an irrational decision regarding his current circumstances. Another occasion he cooks up a half-baked plan to overthrow the firemen by planting books in their house. To the reader this should become conclusive that Montag doesn't think things through very far which ultimately causes most of his problem as he doesn't tend to think about the consequences. It’s brought to the attention of the reader that Beatty takes the role as a control freak as seen when he tries to manipulate Montag when telling of the bleak history of the firemen. It also seems to the reader that he tries to hide his true feeling from people almost as if he fears what will happen if they become realized by other

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Montag loves his job, “Kerosene,” he said because the silence had lengthened, “is nothing but perfume to me.” He was referring the kerosene that he puts on the houses to burn them. After he meets Clarisse and Faber he starts to get interested into reading books. Now that he is starting to see the good in books he doesn’t like his job and doesn’t want to burn anymore houses down. Bradbury changed other aspects other than his job.

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Firstly, Montag stole a book to try and discover what he is missing not reading them. Clarisse at random asked Montag if he was happy, and it had never came across to Montag if he was happy. People in their society really didn't feel at all. The old woman that had rather die with her books than give them up, began to make Montag curious on why they were so special. He began to question every aspect in his life, when he does, Mildred tells Montag he should have thought before becoming a fireman.

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In the beginning of chapter one, Montag’s believes and supports his part in society. He is also fond of his job and sees it as a pleasure to burn books. “It was a pleasure to see things burn, to see things blackened and changed.” (1). But after his encounter with Clarisse, his perspective slightly changes and he starts to rethink

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467 Words | 2 Pages

Montag's relationship with books is the focus of this essay. The essay is divided into two sections: the first considers how books become a way for Montag to express himself more fully and honestly, and the second and longer section considers how books become an impediment. In this section, I will examine the relationship between Mildred and Captain Beatty, as well as what happens when Montag discovers his love for Mildred written down. Following that, I will examine a combination of more overtly brutal violence that shatters Montag's attempts to escape. First of all, books are thought catalysts that can be used to find answers, review and revise existing ideas, and stimulate novel thinking.

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Montag realizes that not everyone is willing to see the faults in their society. Trying to change that is futile. The reader, in turn, recognizes that many people are afraid of knowing more. They are afraid of seeing the wrong in what was perceived as perfect, as good, as

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