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Guy Montag Character Analysis

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Throughout the novel Fahrenheit 451, Guy Montag is portrayed as a hero. His actions and thoughts reveal that continuously. There is a lot of debate as to the type of hero he is, but the book makes it clear that Montag is an anti-hero. His motives, thoughts, and actions meet certain standards that classify him as an anti-hero. As the plot of the novel progresses, it becomes clear that Montag does not fit into society. One way he is different is the fact that he likes real knowledge, as supposed to the artificial knowledge the rest of the characters know. An example of this is when Mildred and her friends start to talk about politics. Mrs. Bowles tells Montag that voting for Winston Noble was an easy choice because of the competition. His challenger was short and she tells Montag “You just don't go running a little short man like that against a tall man”(93), conveying the idea that Mrs. Bowles thought she cast an informed vote. However, Montag strongly disagrees with her reasoning, as he prefers real knowledge. He opposingly believes that political positions should be elected based on more than just superficial traits. Montag is furious and leaves the room, but then returns to combat the ignorance “with a book in his hand.”(94) Though this decision was senseless and ironic in that way, Montag shows himself to be different from Mrs. Bowles who “voted last election, same as everyone [else].”(93) Montag is also incomparable to society as a whole because of his animosity towards

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