Although Montag takes many steps to change. His relationships, the obvious strive for knowledge and his curiosity will eventually change him and the world. On the first page, Montag says that “It was a pleasure to burn.”. (1) This is the first glimpse you get of Montag. He proceeds to talk about how he likes the way the fire burns the books. Montag’s motivation is not to burn books, although it did seem that way in the beginning. Montag's ultimate motivation for what he does is to find substance in his life. Not only in his marriage and relationships, but in the society that he lives in. The people in Montag’s life have motivated his actions drastically. It doesn't matter the amount of time that those people are in his life. A prime …show more content…
In part two he tells Faber “We have everything we need to be happy, but we aren't happy. Something's missing. I looked around. The only thing I positively knew was gone was the books I’d burned ten or twelve years. So I thought books might help.” (78) This quote shows how he is looking for something in his life that is missing. The quote helps readers understand that Montag's relationship with Mildred has been a motivation, but it isn't the main motivation. his quote also helps us understand that he wants substance. The substance in his life just isn't there. Everything he knew to be true in his life is slowly unraveling. What I mean by this is that thought that he was happy with his life, that most (I say most because Mildred did try and kill herself.) everything was fine. Bringing it back to my thesis, Montag's first step was realizing there was an issue with his relationship and his life. He came to this conclusion with the help of the relationships he had with Clarisse and Mildred.
One of Montag’s important personality traits is how curious he is. Montag’s curiosity plays a major role in his life. Clarisse told Montag that he wasn't like the others. She says “When I said something about the moon, you looked at the moon. The others would never do that.” (21). This quote matters because it shows that he is a curious person. That is weird because the people in his society, don't wonder what
The first time Montag and Clarisse meet, Clarisse shows that she is very curious by questioning everything. Many of these questions insult Montag or make him angry. Some make him wonder and question things that he has always known. In the very first conversation Montag and Clarisse have, Clarisse asks “'Are you happy?'she said.” (Bradbury 10). At first, Montag thinks this is a stupid question. Then after he goes home and ponders this question, he realizes that he isn't happy at all. Clarisse also tells Montag of a time when
Montag’s Wife, Mildred, is a negative influence on him, trying to push him away emotionally and physically. She does not know who she really is and lives in an illusionary world with her obsession of television shows and believing they are real. He is so confused because she tries to ignore it ever happened thinking about all the bad things; “fire, sleeping tablets, men disposable tissue, coattails, blow, wad, flush...Rain. The storm. The uncle laughing...The whole world pouring down..." (19). After this incident he looks at Mildred in a different light and is someone who he can’t relate to. Another way she separates herself from Montag is through her "family", which is a television show. Montag constantly asks Millie “[if that] family loves [her]… love [her] with all their heart and soul" (83). Her world isn’t based in reality; they are clearly on different paths. Hers is one of illusion and his is becoming that of a totally self-aware person. She blocks everything and everyone out that is around her and lives within the show. Mildred opens Montag 's eyes to the real world and shows him that most people are uncaring and narcissistic.
Another incident that stayed in Montag 's mind is the old women who set her self and her books on fire. However, Montag tried stopping her by telling her that the books were not worth her life. Before she burned herself, Montag took one of her books and kept it. At that time Montag did not think about what did the old lady burned herself with the books, he did not think about it might be the value and morals that books hold to teach is. The old lady knew the importance of these books and what do they have, so she preferred to burn herself with them, and not watch the firemen burn them, who do not even know the importance of books. But they do know that books are unreal and there is so importance of them, plus they are against the law!
in Montag's life. Montag realizes that his life and the lives of all the other
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
Firstly, Montag faces the conflict of having to burn down a house with a woman in it, which led him to thinking that something important may be hidden within the books that could be different from what he has learning in this new version of society; Montag becomes more curious through this event and starts to wonder. Eventually, the protagonist is so deeply engrossed in his curiosity that “his hand closed like a mouth, crushed the book with wild devotion, with an insanity of mindlessness to his chest” (Bradbury 34). This quote illustrates
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
Throughout the novel, Montag evolves as a character, he slowly comes to grips with reality. He begins the story as a happy, content, and everyday member of society, and after a few choice interactions, begins to feel progressively unhappy. In search of a solution to this confusing and growing unhappiness, Montag becomes rebellious towards the value of the commonly accepted facts of his society. This is most clearly demonstrated by Montag’s opinion of books. As he slowly eases into reading books, Montag comes to the realization that despite him not knowing the meanings of the books he reads, they do have a profound and deep impact. Once
At the beginning of the novel Montag was convinced that “burning” was the solution. He even said “ it was a special pleasure to see things eaten, to see things blackened and changed ”. Throughout the novel he becomes more
pleasure for Montag to see things as he saw the world. Also in the novel, it says, “ Even now he
This applies to Montag’s life because all eyes are on him due to his unique thoughts, so when people see that his beliefs disrupt the uniform society, they judge him because they aren’t able to see through the governmental control. For instance, when Montag is able to uncover the beauty of poetry, he can 't help but read a poem to Mildred and her friends, only for them to see the poem as a threat because they can’t understand the true meaning behind it. Mildred and her friends aren 't willing to break out this bubble that the government has trapped most of society in.
Montag and John were both very determined to change their societies for the better. To start off John was determined to finish his journey and re-built the land he discovered “But they were men who built the city, not gods or demons. They were men. I remember the dead man’s face. They were men who were here before us. We must build again”,( ). John knew he had to be optimistic and open minded if he wanted to succeed in his journey which he did. Montag was determined in many different ways but first he had to
Montag’s motivation would be the urge to know the truth, he is very curious about things. For instance, Clarisse states, “ No one has time anymore for anyone else. You’re one of the few who put up with me. That’s why I think it’s so strange you’re a fireman. It just doesn’t seem right for you somehow.” (Bradbury 23,24). Montag is an inquisitive person who considers the well being of his society in a rightful manner. Beatty is motivated by thinking that his job, corrects the society and it is correct for the society. When Beatty burns books, it is the right thing to do for the society, according to him. Specifically, Beatty professes, “They [firemen] were given a new job, as custodians of our peace of mind, the focus of our understandable and rightful dread of being inferior: official censors, judges, and executors. That’s you, Montag, and that’s
Clarisse helps Montag look around him and see everything, from the smallest snowflake to the biggest tree. Montag never really thinks about what is happening in his life, or why it seems he never shows much emotion towards anything. Clarisse teaches Montag to look around and to pay attention to what is really important in life, just not what his society tells him. Even though I believe Clarisse was the reason for Montag’s major metamorphosis, I believe that there were two additional individuals that had a role to play in Montag’s expedition to find answers to fill the void in his life.
Answer: The reason Montag seeing his reflection in Clarisse’s eyes is significant is because this is the first time he has truly seen what he looks like. He describes himself as “He saw himself in her eyes, suspended in two shining drops of bright water, himself dark and tiny, in fine detail, the lies about his mouth, everything there…”