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Examples Of Individualism In Fahrenheit 451

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When living in a world that requires you to conform to the ideal way of living, it may be hard to embrace one’s individuality. In Ray Bradbury's dystopian novel, Fahrenheit 451, the society conforms to a hedonistic way of living, where knowledge is censored and individualism is opposed, yet entertainment and pleasure are considered the norm. Books in their society represent individualism, and when they’re burned, it shows the lack of freedom of thought and as a result, a lack of individuality. Despite being raised in said society, Guy Montag, the protagonist of the novel, gets a glimpse of reality and soon starts to question the way of living, and as a result finds his own individuality. Because of the societies lack of knowledge from books, …show more content…

“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

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