Character Analysis of Guy Montag

Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 tells a story of the tyranny of government and the dystopian view of literacy that is defined through book banning in a futuristic society. The main character of this novel, Guy Montag, is a government official that is charged with locating rebellions individuals that possess books. These government watchdogs must then burn the

Imagine a life where firemen starts fire instead of putting them out. Imagine a life where books are illegal. Imagine a life where we have no control over our thoughts (anaphora). This is the life of Guy Montag, protagonist of Rey Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451. At first, guy takes pleasure in his job as a fireman, burning illegally owned books and the house of their owners. However, a series of events soon makes him question his profession, and sequently, life itself. Guy, troubled and intrigued, seeks to find answers, and in turn, undergo a journey of self discovery. Throughout this journey, the once ignorant Guy transcends into a being of greater knowledge, in which he learns that humanity is nothing but an empty shell without books to fill in its void.

He was just like everybody else, thought that burning down houses was normal and that reading books was not okay and that they were useless. On page 1, he says “It was a pleasure to burn. It was a special pleasure to see things eaten, to see thing blackened and changed” (Bradbury). Montag’s mindset is set up like a firefighter from his time, they all burn down houses and enjoy watching them burn along with the rest of society and that most definitely shows he just goes with the crowd. Guy Montag starts changing his perspective on life and society when he meets Clarisse and she question many things.

Think about what the world would be like if books were forbidden. Schools would be different and the world would be censored from all the history written in books. In Fahrenheit 451 that is exactly what their world is like. Guy Montag is the main character and protagonist. He worked as a firefighter, but instead of distinguishing fires he lit houses on fire if they contained books. All his life he was told that books are unacceptable and should be burned. One day he pondered on  what reading a book felt like. He started to read and that got him into some trouble. In the novel Fahrenheit 451 author Ray Bradbury illustrates the idea that censoring information from people will only make people want the information more, this becomes clear to readers

In Montag 's case, he understands that he is unhappy with the way he is living, and he begins to rethink his ways of destruction. In like manner, a literary criticist, Rafeeq McGiveron, gives a good analysis of the character of Montag when he says that Montag has a “blithely clear and pathetically blank conscience” towards burning books until he relives his childhood through walks with Clarisse (p.6). Clearly, Clarisse tugged and Montag 's heart and helped him understand the heartlessness of burning books. Most definitely, it was Montag 's hand and not his brain or mind that was the true monster. In another example, the reader sees Montag 's private life during a conversation between he and Mildred, his wife, when she says, “when can we have a fourth wall television put in? It 's only two thousand dollars” and Montag responds by saying that two thousand dollars is one-third of his yearly pay (Bradbury 33). The example presented adds more depth to the grim life of the main character because Montag is married to a woman that is selfish and has no interest for any part of Montag 's life. Similarly, because Montag is faced with unhappiness in both his professional and private life, he is quick to accept the words of Clarisse that there is a better and brighter life possible for him. Overall, Bradbury successfully acomplishes a sense of sympathy for Guy Montag by revealing the

Throughout the course of history, governments are the biggest example of being a catfish. The book, Fahrenheit 451 reflects examples of these types of events. The book shows what happens when a government takes away people’s knowledge through censorship. When Censorship is done, it prevents knowledge and gives the government the more superior advantage in power. In Fahrenheit 451 , Guy Montag realizes burning books aligns with government control in censorship and knowledge.

In a conversation with his wife, he said, " ‘There must be something in books, things we can't imagine, to make a woman stay in a burning house; there must be something there. You don't stay for nothing’ “(Bradbury 51). By saying this, he is showing that the old woman really got to him. The woman challenged his viewpoint of books by staying in her house because she believed the books were more valuable than her own life. After witnessing this, Montag begins to steal and read the books that he is supposed to burn, and starts to understand their purpose. The old woman’s actions challenged his viewpoint which started his character change. Ultimately, through the first part of this novel, Guy Montag is depicted as a law-abiding citizen but later starts to change when an old woman challenges his viewpoint of books.

Guy Montag is a great example of a modern anti-hero. In the beginning of the book, Guy seemed to be law abiding and did not stand out, but then Clarisse and the house, in which the women burned herself with her books, influenced him greatly. He then rebels in his own silent ways and has great ideas on how to overthrow the firemen, but he does not have any leadership qualities. Guy is also is not good under pressure just like in the situation when Beaty came over the first time to talk about books while they played poker. “Stop blushing. I’m not needling, really I’m not. Do you know, I had a dream an hour ago. I lay down for a catnap and in this dream you and I, Montag, got into a furious debate about books.” (Bradbury, 106) Montag's unheroic

Juan Ramon Jimenez once said, “If they give you ruled paper, write the other way”. This quote shows the challenge of authority, like Montag and his society. Just like challenging the normal, or doing the opposite of what seems to be right by “writing the other way” on a lined piece of paper, Montag chooses to challenge authority by reading, remembering, and comprehending books, instead of burning them. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury takes place in a dystopian society in the twenty-fourth century and the main character is Guy Montag. He is a fireman whose job is to burn books and start fires instead of putting them out. Moreover, he lives in a society which just listens to government propaganda and follows whatever they are told; the citizens do not think deeply about aspects in life but rather focus on mind-numbing activities, that does not take any deep thought process. Books are banned but Montag takes the risk to start to read books, hoping they will bring him happiness in the dark world he lives in. In his journey he has three mentors who help him, Clarisse, Faber, and Granger. The protagonist, Guy Montag, changes as a result of the conflict within his dystopian society and this change connects to the novel’s theme of government censorship over its citizens.

When I read Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, I felt very depressed and angry over the idea of burning books. In Fahrenheit 451 society it is against the law to read or own books. If you do, you could go to jail or be killed. And burning down houses, if there are books in them, is also acceptable. But in real life burning houses and books is not good. Fahrenheit 451 society and our world are very different because they have different laws and rules. Another example of how Fahrenheit 451 and our society are different is that in the book it was not against the law to run over someone, but in our society it is against the law.

“There must be something in books, things we can’t imagine, to make a woman stay in a burning house; there must be something there”(Guy, 48). Unlike the rest of society, Guy Montag questions the way of living and his curiosity is what lead him to question the society and the burning of books. He wants to know what the importance of books is and the reason for reading them. Montag’s curiosity and questioning of the society and his opposing ideas are what make him the protagonist of the novel. He has characteristics that are unlike most of the people in the society, that chose to conform to certain ideas and ways of living. Guy Montag wants someone to talk to, as no one else listens to him or is open to his opinions. “Nobody listens anymore. I can’t talk to the walls because they are yelling at me. I can’t talk to my wife; she listens to the walls. I just want someone to hear what I have to say. And maybe if I talk long enough, it’ll make sense. And I want you to teach me to understand what I read”(Guy, 78). Although Montag has curiosity and interest in reading books, there isn’t anyone for him to interact with. No one seems to share his curiosity and interest about

Sometimes, people don’t realize how big of an effect someone can have on a life. What someone says can rub off, and if they are a positive person, it can make a person follow in their ways. Fahrenheit 451 is a science fiction novel written by Ray Bradbury, the main character Guy Montag undergoes many changes within himself. Throughout the book, Montag encounters many different people that make him face his real self. Although Montag might not know it, maybe others know a little bit more about himself than he even does. The old lady teaches Montag about sacrifice and sticking to your beliefs no matter what. Then Faber teaches him that books maybe do mean more than just the words on the page.

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

I was surprised to see Guy Montag’s personality change throughout the story. In the beginning, he was an ordinary firefighter who had despised books. However, as the story escalated and he met Clarisse, his perspective upon books changed. With Clarisse’s talking and Mildred’s television family, he begins to believe that books are what are missing from his life. His view on books changes from hating them to desiring them. This change surprised me because Montag’s description from the beginning of the text about fire convinced me how deep his hatred for books is. This is significant in the story because it labels Montag as a dynamic character.

But, books were illegal in this day and age, so he must keep the city protected. While watching the senior burn with her books, he learned that these books are so important to some people- there has to be something special about these books. As a result of this, he stole some of her books and took them to his home to read. This example proves that the old lady develops Guy Montag’s character considering he went from being fearful and weary about owning books, to becoming curious and wanting to learn the importance and significance of books. He begins to become intrigued, going against the law and putting his job- and life- at risk.