The Changes of Montag Imagine a society that revolves around conformity and none of the citizens are allowed to think for themselves. Imagine these citizens are not allowed to think for themselves either. This is the type of society that is depicted in Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. But, there is one character, named Guy Montag, who is different from the other citizens. He questions conformity and over the course of the novel, as he questions it, his character changes as well. At the beginning of part one in the novel, Montag believes he is happy and he complies with all the rule of destroying and not reading books. He first beings to change when Clarisse, his strange neighbor who thinks for herself, asks him, “Are you happy?” (Bradbury …show more content…
When Montag is on the subway, on his way to visit Faber, a friend who is a retired English professor, he decides to memorize verses from his copy of the Bible. On the subway, there are constant advertisements playing on the speakers to keep the people from thinking. While Montag is trying to memorize Bible verses, a slogan for Denham’s Dentifrice toothpaste keeps interrupting his thinking process. This eventually frustrates him, making him yell, “Shut up, shut up, shut up!” (Bradbury 79). Montag has reached the point where he always wants to be in control of his mind, unlike what the government intends. The government wants conformity and only some control over the mind, which makes Montag irritated. Montag is also forming his own opinions, which is interfering with his temperament. Mildred, Montag’s wife, invited two of her friends to the house, but all three ladies conform with everything the government wants. The conversations held by these three anger Montag very much. The reactions of the friends, after Montag reads them a poem from a book, angers him even more, making him yell at one of the ladies, “Go home, go home!... Before I knock you down and kick you out the door!” (Bradbury 101). Montag never had an outburst like that before, but now that he thinks for himself, he is able to form opinions and opinions tend to lead to anger and conflict. As Montag tries to become more of an independent thinker, he …show more content…
He is now finally able to feel guilt, unlike the ordinary citizens. As Montag is being aggravated by Beatty, right after he had to burn his own home, he snaps and points his flamethrower at Beatty. Montag then burns Beatty to death. He later breaks down and cannot stop crying, something the other citizens would not do if they killed someone. Montag is being chased by police after the burning, “But he was still crying and that had to be finished. It was going away now. He hadn’t wanted to kill anyone, not even Beatty” (Bradbury 122-123). While the other citizens would feel enjoyment from killing, because they do not know any better, Montag feels remorse, for he knows killing is wrong. Furthermore, Montag is now a completely independent thinker and he knows how dysfunctional this society actually is. As Montag is running away from the police after the burning, he decides to escape the city, “Perhaps he could make the open country and live on or near the rivers and near the highways, in the fields and hills” (Bradbury 125). Although he knows that he must run away to avoid death, he is even more willing to do so after Faber informs him that there is a group of Harvard graduates roaming around by the train tracks. He wants to leave the city to be with people who understand what is happening around them. Montag is no longer clueless to the feeling of
The consequence of this behavior could send Montag to prison, which Montag does not care about. After reading several books Montag talks with his close friend, Faber, and says to him "We have everything to be happy, but we're not happy" .What Montag tells Faber at that moment is really an expression of how he started analyzing more after starting reading books. Although Montag's love life changes and his view of society are changed too, this is not the only change Montag must admit. In the start of the book Montag is delighted in the work of burning illegal books and the homes of where they are found. However, as the book progresses, Montag becomes increasingly disgruntled, as he realizes that he has an empty, unfulfilling life. A point that shows that Montag in the start of the book is happy about his job is when he hangs up his helmet and shines it; hangs up his jacket neatly; showers luxuriously, and then, whistling walks across the upper floor.
Montag is impatient to help others see the value of books so Granger lectures him and tells him the following life lesson, “Everyone must leave something behind when he dies… It doesn’t matter what you do… so as long as you change something from the way it was before you touched it into something that’s like you after you take your hands away” (Bradbury 149-150) This quote shows that Montag wants to make a difference, he wants for others to also attain the knowledge he has, so he wants to get rid of the government censorship. Montag realizes to do that he cannot be part of the society because he will be hunted in the society. He leaves to live with people like him after being chased for his life.
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 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
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
Montag at the beginning of the book is a person that you could love and hate. Montag was a person who loved his job as a firefighter. To Montag he got pleasure out of burning the books. One of Montag's favorite things from burning the books was he would put a marshmallow and put it on a stick and roast it.When Montag's done and goes home he goes to bed with a smile on his face. Then everything changes once he meets Clarisse.
Before this understanding, Montag is ‘happy’ and feels that nothing is wrong with his life. He loves his job. He is just like everyone else. Blank and empty inside, Montag wears a mask of happiness on the outside. In the very beginning, he loves to burn books. Afterall, he is a fireman, whose job is to burn the horrible books. For him “it was a pleasure to burn. It was a special pleasure to see things blackened and changed” (1). Montag was just another person brainwashed by television and the lies of government. Montag would have never suspected that Clarisse is the person who takes off his blindfold. After she asks Montag if he is happy, he starts to notice the world. At first, he assures himself that he is happy. When he’s home, he realizes “he was not happy. He said the words to himself. He recognized this as the true state of affairs. He wore his happiness like a mask…” (9). The mask of happiness that the leaders and government force the people to wear has been torn from Montag’s face and he is shocked as he sees the truth for the first time. Clarisse has started the first step in a transformation that will lead Montag on a path towards true
One of the major changes in this new society is depersonalization, the loss of self and intimacy. After an alarm is sent to the firehouse for a home possessing books, Montag travels to the location with the other firemen. He then discovers that this is his own house, and his wife Mildred turned him in to the firemen. Then, Beatty, the head fireman and Montag’s acquaintance, forces him to burn it down himself. After doing so, he stands outside and watches his house burn. He ruminates, “A great earthquake had come with fire and leveled the house and Mildred was under there somewhere and his entire life was under there…” (112). Despite some of these things that are a part of Montag’s life not being the most pleasant, they are still a large part of who he was. As the house is being burnt down, Montag realizes that everything about him is being destroyed with it. Without his house, Montag has nothing familiar left, and registers that his whole life is essentially gone. After killing Beatty as revenge for forcing him to destroy his home, Montag starts his escape. He stops at the house of Faber, an ex-professor he met prior to the events of the story, for help. In shock, Montag voices his wonder about how he ended up in this situation. He
Montag is someone who is shy and keeps his thoughts to himself, but thinks many things. He shows that he is distracted instead of being happy throughout the book. At the time, he was walking home from work and was looking at Clarisse. Clarisse is a girl who would roam the streets and was also Montag's neighbor. She walks over to Guy and they start to have a conversation while walking to their houses. They discussing if talking about to see if Montag is really happy or if he was lying. She keeps questioning him. Bradbury explains “He was not happy. He was not happy. He said the words to himself. He recognized this as true state affairs. He wore his happiness like a mask and the girl had run across the lawn with the mask and the way
The character of Montag expresses the theme of the ability to think for oneself and the importance of self-reflection. The main character Montag transforms throughout the story. At first, Montag is content with his job as a fireman. Montag is comfortable with his life. Shortly into the story, the character of Clarisse McClean is introduced. Montag tells Clarisse, “You think too many things” (Bradbury 6). Reading further Bradbury’s dialog between Clarisse and Montag demonstrations Montag lacks critical thinking. Clarisse enlightens Montag and the character of Montag awakens. Montag begins to understand the world around him and comes to realize he is unhappy. In a way, Montag rebels against his society. Montag begins to think for himself. Montag reflected upon his happiness and the theme of self-reflection is conveyed for the first time within the novel. “He wore his happiness like a mask and the girl had run off across the lawn with the mask and there was no way of going to knock on her door and ask for it back” (Bradbury 9). It wasn’t until Clarisse asked Montag “are you happy” did Montag stop to consider if he was happy. Bradbury expresses the importance of self-reflection by displaying Montag as content and then developing Montag’s character to awaken and identify he is unhappy. In addition, Bradbury illustrates the ability to think for oneself creates happiness. Bradbury creates an overzealous Montag towards the end of
Fahrenheit 451 is a novel based on a character amed Montag and the life he lives. Throughout the novel his belief will be challenged and he will begin to see the world he and the other characters live in differently. Overtime the man who he was will not be the man he becomes. His beliefs, the characters who have influenced him, and the ways that Montag changes will all be discussed in this essay.
When walking home from another duty as a fireman Montag stumbles upon his new neighbor, Clarisse McClellan. The two engage in philosophical conversation, mainly driven by the young, “socially ill” neighbor. Before heading into his home, Clarisse asks Montag a question. She asks if he is happy. He laughs at the question at first but after looking at Clarisse’s bright, cheerful home, Montag realizes he may not be as happy as he thinks he is while standing in his cold bedroom. A metaphor describes his feelings as Bradbury writes, “He wore his happiness like a mask and the girl had run off across the lawn with the mask and there was no way of going to knock on her door and ask for it back,” (12). Then as matters couldn't get worse, he discovers his wife has attempted suicide shortly after accidentally kicking an empty sleeping pill bottle on the floor. From that moment on he continues to refer to this incident, wondering why his wife took the pills in the first place. Even after calling for help and saving her life, Mildred continues to bother Montag with distrust and ignorance. She even reports Montag’s interest in books to the fire department, leading Montag to completely change the way he thinks about their
In the novel Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, there is a story of the character Guy Montag who is a fireman in a dystopian society, a society in which people get entertainment from giant TVs they call “Parlor Walls” and houses have been deemed fireproof. Since fireman do not need to run around and eliminate fires, they start them. The job of a fireman in this dystopian society is that they burn books and the places that contain them, all the while being the official censors of the state. But there is something different about Montag, he used to be a proud fireman, he had the look of one: “black hair, black brows... fiery face, and... blue-steel shaved but unsaved look” as it states on page 30, the feel of one: “It was
Montag begins to question the harmony which inhibits emotion, because Mildred is never truely bothered about anything, and doesnt care about anything she does. In a more “blatant” instance of Montags uninhibited emotions, Montag says to Beatty, “Im so damned unhappy. ”53 In a sense, we witness Montag losing his relationship with the people he knows and loves, This is due to a realization that challenges the reality choking world around him. He later express his new ideas by refusing society's beliefs.
(Bradbury 7) This question causes Montag to truly begin to question his life. He realizes that he is empty and without purpose, like a match dipped in water. His attitude begins to change, and begins acting differently. His hands develop a mind of their own, acting