Preventing The Burn : Guy Montag Versus Society

As he smites the very man that had driven him mentally unstable and had manipulated his basic morals into near nothingness, he exercises the use of an instrument he’s grown to resent and hate for it’s true purpose, showing that one must enforce the very rules he despises to create some dent in a system built on selfishness and a lack-luster stance on human life. Yet another oddly human thing was Montag’s obvious guilty conscious upon taking the breath of another human being.

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.

Thesis Statement: As the protagonist, Montag undergoes many changes throughout the book due to several characters that function as catalysts in his life.

Montag is the anti-hero in this dystopian futuristic society created by Bradbury. He started off as a follower of society. Montag had a plain wife, worked as a firefighter and followed the rules of society. But, when

Juan Ramon Jimenez once said, “If they give you ruled paper, write the other way”. This quote shows the challenge of authority, like Montag and his society. Just like challenging the normal, or doing the opposite of what seems to be right by “writing the other way” on a lined piece of paper, Montag chooses to challenge authority by reading, remembering, and comprehending books, instead of burning them. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury takes place in a dystopian society in the twenty-fourth century and the main character is Guy Montag. He is a fireman whose job is to burn books and start fires instead of putting them out. Moreover, he lives in a society which just listens to government propaganda and follows whatever they are told; the citizens do not think deeply about aspects in life but rather focus on mind-numbing activities, that does not take any deep thought process. Books are banned but Montag takes the risk to start to read books, hoping they will bring him happiness in the dark world he lives in. In his journey he has three mentors who help him, Clarisse, Faber, and Granger. The protagonist, Guy Montag, changes as a result of the conflict within his dystopian society and this change connects to the novel’s theme of government censorship over its citizens.

My (TS): Throughout the book Montag’s feelings about society change when he knows something is missing, causing him to rebel against it.

In a conformist society however, Montag still has no outlet for his intellect, and thus finds himself without a purpose: ‘I am lost without it.’ This quote

Albert Camus once stated, "The only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so free that your existence is an act of rebellion." If something is not how it ethically should be then it is acceptable to rebel within the limits of what is morally correct. In Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451, he presents a world where the government has restricted access to printed literature so they can gain increased control over their citizens. The main figure, Guy Montag, shows an incredible growth in his personality through his journey of enforcing and accepting the government restrictions to stop the flow of information to a realization that the sharing of knowledge leads to a stronger society.  Guy Montag's role comprises many qualities, including that he is a loyal and accepting government employee that works as a "fireman" whose job is to destroy all remaining books and to burn the personal property of those that he caught reading the outlawed books.  A depressing and lonely home life influences Montag's personality, including a drug-addicted and shallow wife, named Millie. While sadness and loss surround Montag, he is a strong individual that can overcome obstacles and the challenge of the government's policies. Montag struggles when he realizes the impact of his orders from his boss puts on others, and that he must take a stand for the betterment of the public. When the government is not doing their duties of protecting their citizens, either by limiting their knowledge, putting them in danger or destroying those who disagree with them these actions can prompt citizens to turn toward rebellion.

world where television and other technology has taken over the lives of thousands. Initially, Montag is ignorant, but he starts to see that citizens are brainwashed into falsely believing that they they are happy. In the middle of his metamorphosis, Montag learns that there still is much for him to learn about humanity, and he starts to get curious about reading and understanding. In the third part Montag learns from Faber and the book readers how to understand what you read and realize mistakes. These three epiphanies teach Montag that to

At the onset of the novel Montag is a rule following conformist. He obeys the rules and regulations provided by his

Montag's attempts to rectify the damage his distorted society has cast upon humanity parallels with the prisoner’s return to the cave, where his newfound beliefs are rejected out of fear. Despite Montag's intentions, the public only attacks him, berates him and labels him a criminal for acting out and rebelling against the society’s wishes. Montag’s attempts to “sear all their faces and wake them up” only result in failure (Bradbury 128), as after all, the public is too afraid. Any threat to the fragile peace the society holds is automatically fought against. The members themselves protect the status quo by isolating outsiders who think differently, as Clarisse explains to Montag, “The others would walk off and leave me talking. Or threaten

Montag, the main character of the story, is inspired by a young girl to question law

Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 features a fictional and futuristic firefighter named Guy Montag. As a firefighter, Montag does not put out fires. Instead, he starts them in order to burn books and, basically, knowledge to the human race. He does not have any second thoughts about his responsibility until he meets seventeen-year-old Clarisse McClellan. She reveals many wonders of the world to Montag and causes him to rethink what he is doing in burning books. After his talks with her, the society’s obedience to the law that bans knowledge, thinking, and creativity also increasingly distresses him. In Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury shows conformity in the futuristic America through schooling, leisure, and fright.

This novel, written by Ray Bradbury, takes place in a dystopian society where following government regulations are the social norm. Pleasure-seeking and distractions are the features of lifestyle where Montag lives. One cannot think, but can only indulge themselves from mindless entertainment because it requires minor distinctive thoughts. Characters such as Mildred, Beatty, and the majority conforms to the government because it is a normal act. On the other hand, individuality is not accepted as a social norm because they become threats as they question what life is and look for answers in books. People who show individuality are considered as outcasts of society and be put under government danger as

Meanwhile Montag is strolling down the street he runs into seventeen-year-old Clarisse, a new neighbor who recently moved in. They have a conversation and Montag is deeply interested by what Clarisse has to say about modern society, she utterly rejects any laws of authority and blatantly shames upon any form of civic obedience. She mentions how in the old world firefighters put out fires opposed to the modern world where firefighters create them. She then introduces a scenario where her uncle was jailed for driving too slow on a highway and flat out shames law enforcement. Clarisse inevitably taught Montag the skill of questioning every aspect of life after questioning his