Ray Bradbury demonstrates through Guy Montag that a significant experience impacts an individual by opening their eyes and in turn changing their perspective. In Ray Bradbury’s classic 1951 novel Fahrenheit 451, he explores the idea of significant events and their effect on one's personal beliefs and thoughts. The reader experiences the evolution of thoughts through the main character of Guy Montag. From a brainwashed robot to a unconventional critical thinker, Ray Bradbury uses the significant events to evolve Montag’s perspective and thinking process. Ray Bradbury also uses significant events such as Montag meeting Clarisse, his exposal to literature, and Beatty committing suicide to promote his own Bradbury’s own perspective on …show more content…
One can infer, based on Montag’s surprise, that this is one of the first times that Montag is meeting an individual who thinks differently than him. During their conversation, Clarisse constantly outwits Montag and she always has a wise rebuttal. Each of her words are intended to open Montag’s eyes and make him reflect on the brainwashed society that he lives in. She opens his eyes to ideas such as “dew on the grass” and “a man on the moon,” to entice Montag into thinking critically. It’s during this interchange that Ray Bradbury’s raises attention to the parallels between Montag’s societies and our own. He promotes his own ideas of engaging in conversations, instead of people shutting themselves away. Bradbury notices the frantic, rapid pace of life in society, and the rarity of a lively debate. A society with no arguments, and no rebuttals, will quickly become dry, with decisions being passed quickly. Clarisse almost acts as Bradbury’s idea for an ideal citizen, she's productive, yet isn’t afraid to rebel and question the government's decisions. It’s people like Clarisse who aren’t afraid to argue a different perspective. As the catalyst, Clarisse’s impact on Montag is demonstrated throughout the novel. He constantly thinks about Clarisse and what her impact would be on him. When Montag meets the car racers, he theorizes about her death even when he is faced …show more content…
When Beatty and the rest of the 451 fireteam arrive to burn down Montag’s house, he treats Montag with a malicious attitude. He taunts Montag and even forces him to burn down his own house. Beatty attempts, and succeeds, of causing Montag to snap and lose his judgment. Eventually when faced with his own arrest, Montag decides to escape by turning the flamethrower on Beatty. It isn’t until after, that both Montag and the reader realize that it was Beatty's way of committing suicide. Like a violinist plays the violin, Beatty was able to easily manipulate Montag, even manipulating Montag to kill him. As a true mastermind, Beatty realizes that the only way out of this society was death. This not only impacts the reader into realizing the full depravity of the society, but acts as a significant event that helps shape Montag’s perspective. It allows Montag to open his eyes and realize that he can’t escape via death, like Beatty, but instead must find another way out of the society. Beatty’s suicide demonstrates to Montag how desperate people will go to escape that society. Even citizens who were not exposed to literature regularly try to commit suicide, by taking too many pills, as a method of escaping. Montag learns from this event, and eventually escapes his home city into the countryside, but in turn sacrifices his relationships with Faber, and his wife. Shortly after Montag escapes, the city is