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Fahrenheit 451 Character Analysis

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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. Knowledge at your fingertips is a human right and when that is adducted it is suitable to repel. Incarnating books is what Montag used to be forced to do day after day just so, people would not learn and gain more wisdom from their content. Correspondingly, Bradbury writes, "It took some man a lifetime, maybe to put some of his thoughts down, looking around at the world and life and then I come along in two minutes and boom! It's all over."" (49, Ray Bradbury). Montag develops the opinion that the policy to burn books that people have spent years to write this is unnecessary. This thought helps him realize that he is

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