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Fahrenheit 451 Character Analysis

Decent Essays

Fahrenheit 451, written by Ray Bradbury, is a Dystopian novel that is based in a futuristic society where it is illegal to own or read books. They enforce these book related laws by use of firemen whose have the job of burning books when they become discovered. Bradbury creates a society where the people completely depend upon technology for everything. Due to these laws and the influence of technology, many people had lost intellect and no longer thought for themselves. All in all, this society outlaws critical thinking, or thinking in any ways that might oppose the government. The main character of this novel, Guy Montag, works as a firefighter, who faces a moral dilemma regarding whether or not he really wants to burn the books and the knowledge …show more content…

Montag’s personal journey takes him from a devoted burner of books to a believer in all their worth. Several characters in the book influence Montag’s new outlook, such as Clarisse, Faber, and Beatty. Clarisse had an especially significant impact on the way Montag begins to regard books and life. Clarisse influenced Montag to start to think more, and to question his job of burning books more. She did this mainly in their initial interaction. Montag starts coming home off the subway and he starts walking to his house when he encounters Clarisse in the park. They have a discussion about themselves, and about life. Montag notices that Clarisse has a very unique way of thinking and how she interacts with him. Clarisse mentions that she does not go to the fun parks, or talk to the Parlor walls, and as a result of this has more time to critically evaluate issues. At the time, this sounded very peculiar to Montag, and got him thinking as well. As …show more content…

When Montag first met Faber he had seen him hide something, and as such, he approached him to talk. They talked for a while but then Faber ran away. Montag eventually went to Faber’s home to talk to him about why he felt unhappy and what he needed. Faber tried to explain to him the importance of the knowledge found in books, and the sense of loss he felt in knowing that they, for the most part did not exist. Faber also explained how books have quality, and that in this society no time existed for thinking, or any ability to carry out any action. While Faber talked to Montag he said, “It’s not the books you need, it is some of the things that were once in books” (82). Faber goes on to say, “The book has pores. It has features. This book can go under a microscope. You’d find life under the glass, streaming past in infinite profusion…Off-hours, yes. But time to think?” (83-84). Faber tries to explain through these quotes, what books used to have, and how their society has changed to the point where they have absolutely no time to think. He explained how the books had certain qualities that could provoke thought, and make people more free-minded. At this point in the novel, Montag had already begun to attempt to read, and after this conversation with Faber, he could see that his life was not complete without books, or the knowledge they contained. This made Montag realize

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