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
Character development is the way a character grows during a novel. Character development is present in the novel Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. In this novel, the protagonist, Guy Montag, makes a living in a futuristic world by burning books and their owners houses since it is illegal to own books. Eventually his eyes are opened and he begins to steal the books he is supposed to burn from the owners' houses, and starts protecting them. Guy Montag is developed through the usage of minor characters such as Clarisse, the old lady, and Granger.
Montag believes, “‘Something’s missing’ … ‘It’s not books you need, it’s some of the things that were once in books...The same infinite detail awareness could be projected through radios and televisors, but are not’ (Bradbury 78). Faber informed Montag of the information that was being obscured from society. Knowledge and information meant very little to it. The society gives people random and irrelevant information. As a result, the people have a false sense of knowledge and remain ignorant. Montag gets frustrated and wants help from Faber: “‘In any event, you’re a fool. People are having fun.’ ‘Committing suicide! Murdering!’ ‘Patience Montag...Our civilization is flinging itself to pieces.’ … ‘There has to be someone ready when it blows up … Who can stop me? I’m a fireman. I can burn you!’ … ‘What do you want?’ ‘I need you to teach me’ (Bradbury 83-85). Montag is determined and has a need to fix and help society. He wants everyone to become aware of the mistakes society has made, and how it is falling apart as he became aware after meeting Faber. Faber explains to Montag, “You were so recently of them yourself. They are so confident they will run on forever. But they won’t run on … I’m with you remember that. I understand how it happened … Montag, you mustn’t go back to being a fireman. All
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.
Montag is a fireman rebel. He does not conform with society in Fahrenheit 451. The media/government has brain washed the people into believing that books are bad. Clarisse McClellan confirmed that Guy Montag was different
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 conclusion, Montag has the qualities of a hero. He teaches us to do the right things in life even when everyone is against it. He also teaches us that sometimes in order to achieve a few things in life you may have to give up a few things in life. Guy Montag clearly shows heroism in Fahrenheit 451 and is ready to get it to the next step. We all can make a difference in society. Heroes are not born, they
In the novel Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury, there are many different characters and each one plays a different role. One of the main characters, Guy Montag, is a fireman who takes pride in his work and enjoys burning books as a part of his job. His outlook about burning books changes after he meets Clarisse McClellan and Professor Faber. It’s very interesting how Montag’s way of thinking transforms overtime. He becomes very courageous about hiding books and is also curious about reading them. Throughout the novel his actions, ideas, and his feelings change as he starts to think for himself.
At the onset of the novel Montag is a rule following conformist. He obeys the rules and regulations provided by his
Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451 was first published in 1933, and its story entails a futuristic world in the middle of a nuclear war. The totalitarian government of this future forbids its people from reading or taking a part in other acts that involve individual thinking. The law against reading is, presumably, fairly new, and the government is faced with the enormous task of destroying all of its citizens' books. This disposal of books is the profession of the main character, Guy Montag, who is officially titled a "fireman." He and his crew raid libraries and homes, burning any books they find before dozens of overjoyed onlookers. Throughout the beginning of the novel, Montag appears to be a
When people hear the word hero, most assume it means a person with super strength, with the ability to disappear, or with the power to save the world and all of its inhabitants. Fictional novels portray heroes as people that make a difference in the community. This characterization of a hero is also true in Ray Bradbury's novel, Fahrenheit 451. Rodney A. Smolla introduces the main character in “The Life of The Mind and A Life of Meaning: Reflections on Fahrenheit 451” stating that “Montag begins the novel ostensibly proud of his profession and settled in life, but we soon find that there is disquiet beneath the surface” (897). Throughout the continuation of the story, Guy Montag is the main character who ultimately refuses to be controlled
In most stories, the protagonists are often the ones that are different from everyone else. In Fahrenheit 451, Montag is best described as rebellious and someone who’s willing to take risks. After
The flash of rusty red and yellow smoke glow above the crackle of fresh books being burned. A foggy night is lit up with a house fire. Behind a helmet labeled 451 is a man in his 30's smiling from ear to ear, Guy Montag. Guy Montag, the protagonist in Fahrenheit 451. Guy is a typical fireman who loves the sight of fire and smell of burning books.
The first main character of Fahrenheit 451 is Guy Montag. He is a 30 year old fireman, who has black hair and smelled of kerosene, and at first wasn’t an individual or a thinker, but developed into one as the story progressed. He is a dynamic character who was very angry and confused about his life, and the life his society tells him to live. Montag is the protagonist, and he goes against the government to change the society for the better. His goal is to preserve knowledge and literature for future generations. Montag said, “‘I realized that a man was behind each one of those books’” (49). This shows that he acknowledged that books were written by real people, with their real thoughts in them; that they had details and meaning to them. This was something most people in this society did not realize.
“If they give you ruled paper, write the other way.” This quote by Juan Ramon Jimenez means that sometimes rules are meant to be broken and sometimes rules are not always for the betterment of society. Rules give us structure, but they can hinder our humanity towards one another. The book Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury is about a dystopian society where books are burned and outlawed. Guy Montag, a fireman, comes along, and he learns about a past where people were not afraid to read and break laws and learns this all cause of a girl named Clarisse McClellan, then he meets a man named Faber who teaches him how to understand books. Then
This novel begins with an interesting premise using symbols normally thought of being destructive and dangerous, are seen as tools to bring about change, cleaning out the dusty old and ushering in the bright shiny new. The protagonist, Guy Montag has been going about his life as a fireman whose job it is to start fires and extinguish the past is suddenly interrupted by a young seventeen year old girl by the name of Clarisse McClellan. A young girl whom appear to not respond and act as the majority of society. Montag feels conflicted that even though Clarisse is an odd ball in their society, she make him feel special, a feeling he 's not use and attempt to fight the urge of needing her acknowledgement of him as an individual who is special and unique. I would consider Clarisse sort of a positive antagonist.