Guy Montag In Fahrenheit 451 By Ray Bradbury

When Montag first met Clarisse he could tell that she was different from other people he has met before. Clarisse was very free spirited and “her face [was] bright as snow in the moonlight”(pg. 4). She was a very innocent girl who saw the world from a different perspective than Montag. Instead of living in a world full of negativity, Clarisse aimed to explore beyond reality. She talked to Montag about a world where “they needed firemen to stop the flames,” and explained how the world was very peaceful (pg. 6). Also, Clarisse saw the true man hiding beneath the uniform. Although, her ideas may not have fell in line with the rest of society, Clarisse still remained optimistic about what the world was like before this time period. In

They had a system and it worked for the most part. There were no books allowed anywhere so that no one could think. There were people called firemen and if they got a call saying there were books hidden somewhere they would head over and burn the books and/or the house the books were located in. Guy Montag was one of these firemen who loved their job but started questioning his belief in the practice. There were many actions and thoughts that had caused him to change his mindset of burning all the books to wanting to have a future with books, a future where people could think freely and not end up the same as everyone else. One of these actions was when he met a 17-year-old girl named Clarisse and she told him about the past when everyone could

Montag, conditioned to obey and conform, does not question the government's narrative or seek to uncover the truth behind the ban on books. Furthermore, Montag's personal relationships and interactions with others in his society contribute to his ignorance of the flaws in his world. His wife, Mildred, is a perfect example of the conformist mindset that pervades society. Mildred is more interested in her interactive parlor walls and seashell radios than in meaningful human connections or intellectual pursuits. Her shallow existence mirrors the emptiness and superficiality of the society in which they live, reinforcing Montag's complacency and lack of awareness.

Clarisse also says “Is it true that long ago firemen put fires out instead of going to start them?” (bradbury 6). Clarisse questions Montag on all these thing about his job and if things were the same way in the past and leaves him thinking. The fact that she leaves Montag thinking about all this and questioning this himself demonstrates that he’s starting to change. Towards the end of the book Montag shows a shift in

“It was a special pleasure to see things eaten, to see things blackened and changed. With the brass nozzle in his fists, with this great python spitting its venomous kerosene upon the world, the blood pounded in his head, and his hands were the hands of some amazing conductor playing all the symphonies of blazing and burning to bring down the tatter and charcoal ruins of history.”(page 3) This shows that Montag had embraced censorship with burning books because the civilization has kept him captive without him even knowing it. Clarisse is talking to Montag about what firemen really do in their job, and how she mentioned their initial jobs was to put out fires. Montag replied, “No. Houses have always been fireproof, take my word for it.”(page 8) This illustrates how being a fireman in this society manipulates the mind into a state of ignorance. Montag had adapted to his censored

The first character in the novel Fahrenheit 451 who influences Guy Montag is seventeen year-old Clarisse McClellan. The first time Guy and Clarisse cross paths occurs when Guy is walking home from work close to midnight. They meet on an empty sidewalk and quickly begin conversation. As they continue talking, Guy notices that Clarisse is not an average teenager because of the deep questions and thoughts she has. Clarisse questions Guy’s contentment and makes him realize the absence of love and pleasure in his life. Clarisse acts as a goad to push Guy towards a much needed self-examination that later helps him overcome his fear of bringing out the books he has collected over the years and start to look for the meaning in them. Because of Clarisse, Guy is able to transform into a more self-aware man who can now decode his feelings and realize what he needs to have a flourishing life. The second character I chose who impacts Guy Montag is Professor Faber. Guy met Faber in a park a year before this novel takes place when Guy suspected Faber of having a book. When Guy finally builds up his interest in wanting to know more about his secret books, he calls Faber for aid. With Faber’s knowledge, Guy is able to understand viewpoints from different authors and eventually escape the city after he is reported for having books. Alongside Clarisse, Faber is able to help Montag from being completely molded into an average city citizen who is isolated from the knowledge that books are,

At the start of the novel, Montag valued his job and rules. As a fireman, he burns houses with books in them to ensure “happiness” in society. In school, citizens are educated about TV shows versus traditional subjects like math. They live their lives in an age of constant streaming with no time to your own thinking. This is because with thinking comes thoughts, and with thoughts comes discontent. The entire country is taught to not think.. In the beginning, Montag takes great pride in being a fireman, he thinks it is an honor to be the keeper

For example, Guy Montag’s sense of curiosity develops when he meets Clarisse McClelan. The knowledge she has about life and the mature nature she has intrigues Montag. His curiosity shines through even more when he first meets the woman who is willing to be burned with her books. He starts to wonder if there may be something worth reading in books if it had that strong of an impact to a reader. He ponders the thought that the chief may be wrong about books being “horrible” and “useless.”

Clarisse clearly states the attitude of other citizens and their level of ignorance by saying “No one has time anymore for anyone else.” This shows how the others care only about themselves and no one else. Montag, on the other hand, is different to Clarisse. She describes him as an understanding individual when she says “You look at me…You looked at the moon.” This confirms that Montag is not ignorant anymore because he has been introduced to knowledge by Clarisse. He understands more and more of what she tells hm. He is able to understand the past and interpret its meaning. For

He claims, “If there was no solution, well then now there was no problem either. Fire was best for everything” (Bradbury 116). Montag again perceives burning as a gratifying and effective mechanism to deal with issues. His character has become dismissive, convincing himself that, “there was no problem,” when he clearly found flaws in society that had yet to be resolved. Montag also sees this superiority in himself which is most clearly exhibityed when he compares his views to the views of others in his society. He says,“They don’t know that this is all one huge big blazing meteor that makes a pretty fire in space, but that someday it’ll have to hit” (Bradbury 103). By creating a distinction between himself and the other people in his world, Montag exhibits his selfish belief that his knowledge makes him superior to all others. He feels all-knowing and therefore invincible, like

Clarisse, Montag’s neighbor, is a person that introduces him to a world without technology. She is the catalyst that turns Montag from a mindless drone into a free-thinking and questioning intellectual. She does this when they first meet at the beginning of the novel and they have a conversation. "’I rarely watch the 'parlor walls' [...] So I've lots of time for crazy thoughts [...] Have you seen the -two-hundred-foot-long billboards in the country beyond town? [...]’” [(7). When Montag realizes that he has not been paying attention to these little things in life, he starts to become more interested in talking to Clarisse because she shows him another perspective on life other than a world filled with technology. She shows

Montag grew closer to Clarisse each time they talked, and he enjoyed that. So this shows that Montag, when he talks to Clarisse, gets to be himself and become independent and has to think for himself instead of everyone else thinking for him.

We can see that Clarisse is a huge part of the book in how Montag's reacts to events even after she dies, and even how she contributes to Montag unhappiness. Like for example in Fahrenheit 451 Bradbury writes “yes I am very much in love he tried to conjure up a face fit the words, but there was no face(22)” it clearly shows that this relates with the argument because in the book he starts to get a little nervous when she asked him is he in love and that can affect the way he thinks in the long run because of the problem he is having with his wife. A better part of the book where we see how Clarisse is affecting Montag point of view of stuff is when they first met and she asked him if he was happy and in Fahrenheit 451 Bradbury writes “happy of all the nonsense(10)” you can clearly see that this also relates to the argument because for the second time in the book she asked him a simple question and he has over thinked it or he has just responded with anger. The importance of this quote is to show the reader that how he can get distracted from his life when Clarice is around telling stuff to really think about.

We meet Guy Montag, a Fireman, who burns books in a futuristic and dystopian American society. The Central problem is Montag’s Man vs Society conflict in which he battles against an oppressive society.

Clarisse tells Montag this, and it makes him wonder if anyone really does care. Montag realizes that he lives in a world of conceited people. He realizes that he does not really care about anyone, including his wife Mildred. People in his society don't think about others feelings when acting. From this, Montag learns the meaning of caring. He learns what a terrible place it is to live in, where no one cares about anyone but themselves. This only changes Montag for the better. At one point, Montag and the other firemen go to a house because a lady has books concealed in her home. The lady, not concerned about being burned to death, is determined to stay with her books. Montag is stunned by her decision, and cares very much about her safety. “Montag placed his hand on the woman's elbow. 'You can come with me'” (Bradbury 39) This is a turning point for Montag, in which he starts to care about everyone and their feelings.