Beatty In 'Fahrenheit 451'

"Montag sensed it was a rhymeless poem. Then the man grew even more courageous and said something else and that was a poem, too. Faber held his hand over his left coat pocket and spoke these words gently, and Montag knew if he reached out, he might pull a book of poetry from the man's coat. But he did not reach out. His hands stayed on his knees, numbed and useless. "I don't talk things, sir," said Faber. "I talk the meaning of things. I sit here and know I'm alive." (2.36)" This quotes broke down states that books hold value for Faber only in so far as they apply to life. He believes that human

In Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury makes use of external works in the form of quotes. These quotes often expand upon the plot and improve the story. One of the most important quotes in the book is said by a woman who refuses to leave her home while her books are being burned. She recites a line from History of the British Empire (1870) "Play the man, Master Ridley; we shall this day light such a candle, by God's grace, in England, as I trust shall never be put out." This was originally said by Hugh Latimer while he was being burned at the stake for heresy. Because reading and owning books is against the law, her actions can be compared to heresy, and her fate is the same as Latimer. Her death sparks a curiosity in Montag, making him wonder what

In this quotation Faber is encouraging Montag to take the risk of rising against societies standards, and informing him that if you “lose” on your way to a certain goal, remember that you were passionate about something that could make a difference in the way of society. In conclusion, Faber follows the expectations of society but in his mind he desperately wants to go against his actions and help to fight for books. His state of mind has not been affected by society as he is a well read individual, perceives society as uneducated and mindless, as well is capable of teaching Montag effectively.

In regards to why Mildred did not know or acknowledge the disconnect between her and Montag, the most influential one is her reliance to technology. An example of Mildred’s dependency to technology is the quote “And in her ears the little Seashells, the thimble radios tamped tight, and an electronic ocean of sound, of music and talk and music and talk coming in, coming in on the shore of her unsleeping mind. The room was indeed empty. Every night the waves came in and bore her off on their great tides of sound, floating her, wide-eyed, toward morning. There had been no night in the last two years that Mildred had not swum that sea, had not gladly gone down in it for the third time.”

Of all literary works regarding dystopian societies, Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 is perhaps one of the most bluntly shocking, insightful, and relatable of them. Set in a United States of the future, this novel contains a government that has banned books and a society that constantly watches television. However, Guy Montag, a fireman (one who burns books as opposed to actually putting out fires) discovers books and a spark of desire for knowledge is ignited within him. Unfortunately his boss, the belligerent Captain Beatty, catches on to his newfound thirst for literature. A man of great duplicity, Beatty sets up Montag to ultimately have his home destroyed and to be expulsed from the city. On the other hand, Beatty is a much rounder

As Montag develops as a character, Faber becomes crucial in helping him to clarify his thoughts, and in giving him direction. Faber is the guiding force of Montag's rebellion; Clarisse was the spark that lit the fire, and Faber helped to direct that fire in a more manageable and healthy direction. As Montag strives to read books, and to understand what their meaning is, he is confused, muddled and frustrated. He senses that they are important, but can't figure out how. At one point he is so frustrated while trying to read on the subway that on a whim, he drops by Faber's house, and pleads with him, “Nobody listens anymore...I just want someone to hear what I have to say...and I want you to teach me to understand what I read.” (82) Faber's voice from then on is in his ear, through the seashell, and Faber helps to tame Montag's thoughts, guide him in the right way, and interpret life as it comes at him. Overall, Faber plays the role of mentor, strengthener, clarifier, guide, friend and conscience. He is crucial to Montag's development and shows that fire represents thinking and new insight.

Although Beatty decides to reject what he learned when given the opportunity to read books, Beatty is unhappy with his life as a fireman and persuades Montag to kill him by using pathos as shown through his words and actions. Firstly, Beatty orders Montag to burn Montag’s own house, creating anger and sadness within Montag. Messing with Montag’s emotions makes it a pathos appeal. This action alone does not make Montag kill Beatty, but it does push to that goal. In addition, Beatty continues to irritate Montag by insulting him, saying “It was the act of a silly, damn snob” (Bradbury 118). Even though Montag was acting like a snob, or a stuck-up individual, when he read the “Dover Beach” poem to Mildred and her friends, Beatty calling Montag

Faber believes there are three main reasons why people should read."'Number one, as I said: Quality of information. Number two: leisure to digest it. And number three: the right to carry out actions based on what we learn from the interaction of the first two.'" (84) This shows why knowledge is important because books contain much information. They also provide an activity when in times of boredom. Faber explains the real importance of books to Montag and he realizes the affect books have on society, such as educating people and making them less oblivious. Faber also explains the confusion of the material in books. "'So I thought books might help...'No, no, it's not books at all you're looking for...There is nothing magical in them at all. The magic is only in what books say,'" (82-83) Knowledge is not books themselves, it is what is in the books. Faber refers to what is in the books as magic, meaning it has a way of affecting someone and has importance. Faber closes his conversation with Montag by explaining that the importance of knowledge is necessary. "'You can't guarantee things like that! After all, when we had all the books we needed, we still insisted in finding the highest cliff to jump off. But we do need a breather. We do need knowledge. And perhaps in a thousand years we might pick smaller cliffs to jump off.'" (86) Faber says with all the books his society has, people still give themselves

Faber is an English professor who encourages Montag to start reading books. Faber mention “’Do you know why books such as this are so important? Because they have quality’” (pg 83). Faber tells Montag that books are important because they have quality. He helps Montag to read and to understand why books are important. Also, Faber believe ‘”we do need knowledge… The books are to remind us what asses and fools we are’” (pg 86). Through Faber’s suggestions

_____ is shown when takes out the books he had previously hidden in an air vent. He does this in an attempt to explain to Mildred why they are important. She becomes upset and confused by the seemingly meaningless excerpts Montag reads, used to her idle distractions that required no in-depth thinking or interpretations. This is similar to when Montag brought out a book to read the poem “Dover Beach” to her friends. As to not worry the women, Mildred tried to play it off as a familiar occurrence by saying that once a year, firemen were allowed to bring home a book to show their family how silly it was, when in reality she had no idea what Montag was doing. Through his earpiece, Faber protested but Montag would not listen: “‘What good is this, what’ll you prove!’ ‘Scare hell out of them, that’s what, scare the living daylights out!’” (95). It is clear that Montag was not thinking straight because of his shouting at Faber, who he was supposed to keep secret. Montag desperately wanted to make the women understand why literature was important that he acted without thinking in trying to get them to cooperate. Montag believed that he could make them change their minds to realize the importance of literature with this small act, although he failed to take into consideration that when people are brought up thinking one way, it is very difficult to

Montag’s wife, Mildred tried to kill herself by taking “sleeping tablets which had been filled with thirty capsules and..now lay uncapped and empty” (10). The spouses relationship is drastically in trouble, considering Mildred’s attempt to take her own life, willing to leave Montag alone in the world. Mildred does not care about anything but watching television, not paying much attention to her own husband besides asking for things and now requesting for him to get their “fourth wall torn out and a fourth t.v wall put in” only leading to more distance between the two (18). She would rather spend her time alone, only thinking to please herself, rather than being with Montag, this lack of communication is leading is them nowhere but down. One of the few times the couple times actually communicates, Montag asks Mildred “when did we meet and where” but neither of them

As Montag is becoming more and more rebellious, he finds a confidant in Faber. Faber was once a college professor but lost his job when things started to change and books were burned. Though he is somewhat of a coward who does not want to rebel due to the fact that he does not want to face the consequences, he is a big help to Montag as he evolves. Montag is forced to burn his own house down and it seems as if all is coming to an end. At

In Ray Bradbury’s novel, “Fahrenheit 451”, he creates a futuristic society impacted by censorship, where citizens are forced to conform to the government’s manipulation. In this society, all forms of literature became a dangerous gateway to knowledge and are regarded as signs of controversy. Books have been outlawed, and thus the human mind, individuality and thought have all become a blurred existence. Society has become senseless. Merely a place where a fireman’s profession is burning books and any houses found with books kept inside. The novel’s protagonist, Montage, also a fireman, is the narrator of the given quote above. Through the repetitive word “burning”, Bradbury emphasizes Montage’s sense of revelation. Montage realizes he must

Subsequently, Faber monumentally influenced Montag and his decisions he made throughout the novel. Faber was a retired English professor and he is the second mentor that Montag comes across. He was one of the few people who is not like everyone else because he, just as Clarisse, are intellectual beings. Faber met Montag in a park. A short discussion revolving around small-talk like the weather quickly escalates to a deeper topic and Montag and faber soon find themselves discussing Faber’s past and the history of books. They talk for hours and their conversation ultimately ends with Faber leaving Montag his contact card and Guy soon contacts him when he discovers his love for books. In Faber and Montag’s conversation, Faber says, “Do you know why books such as this are so important? Because they have quality.” (83). The significance of Faber

Mildred copes with her dilemmas by not acknowledging her pain; her obsession with technology serves as her escape from the pressures of life. One example of this is when Montag finds Mildred overdosed on pills and has to call workers to revive her and replace her blood. The next morning when Montag tries to have a conversation with her about her suicide attempt he says, “You took all the pills in your bottle last night”. She replied, “Oh I wouldn’t do that” (Bradbury 17). Clearly, Mildred is going through a lot of pain if she would try to kill herself. But her reaction to what Montag says is short and dismissive, showing how she would rather be ignorant and “happy”