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Guy Montag Analysis

Decent Essays

“Sometimes it’s not the people who change, it’s the mask that falls off?” Guy Montag is the main character in Fahrenheit 451 who not only gets older in age but progress in a whole new person as the story advances. He changes his point of view on the society as well as his interests and normal day activities. Thought the course of the novel Montag's transformation plays a big role in the development of the story. The transformation begins early on in the novel but it all starts with Montag being the stereotypical fireman, but with the smallest difference to the society Guy Montag’s head can change as quickly as paper would go up in flames. Guy Montag beings the novel as a stereotypical average man in his society. Working long days as a fireman burning books and homes of criminals. Montag believes and seems to be happy watching the flame spread and catch fire watching everything gets destroyed until nothing remains but a small pile of ashes. This is the way that Montag has grown up and is what he has been educated to do. Montag wakes up every morning with a smile of happiness on his face excited to serve his society burning books “Monday burn Millay, Wednesday Whitman, Friday Faulkner, burn em’ to ashes. That’s our official slogan.” The value of books do not yet apply to Montag. Not only does Montag believe all those with books should be punished dramatically, but those who believe in joy of reading are crazy. The novel begins with a woman who yells “You can never have my books” Montag automatically believes the lady is crazy and as he watches her burn with her books he is so confused on why the books meant so much to her in the first place. When this occurs Montag has not yet transformed into complex man he becomes. As the book progresses Montag begins to question his everyday events and decisions making. On a walk he encountered a young girl, named Clarisse. Clarisse helps Montag realize just how happy he would be if he read a book and if he is currently happy. At first, Montag thinks that Clarisse isn't thinking straight and couldn't believe that thought had ever popped into the girl's brain. Until he begins to process the tough of reading one of the books that he burns "Do you remember what you

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