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How Does Montag Change In Fahrenheit 451

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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

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