“It was a pleasure to see things eaten, to see things blackened and changed” (Bradbury 1). In Fahrenheit 451, change is a common theme, especially within the lead character, Montag. In the beginning, Montag is a brainwashed and indoctrinated firefighter. He morphs into a curious and inquisitive person who rebels against the norms of society. There were four major turning points of Montag’s personality and actions. These were meeting a new neighbor, questioning his relationship with his wife, being forced to burn an old woman with her books, and getting to know a man who made him crave knowledge. In Fahrenheit 451, Montag changed drastically by becoming determined to question society, gain knowledge, and find the significance of his life.
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When Montag met this new neighbor, he realized not everyone has to go with the regular ebb and flow of society. Clarisse was weird. She stood out, was different, and exceeded his expectations in every way. When Montag thought he had seen it all from her, the next day she would have another surprise for him. The first time they had a conversation, Montag asked her about her family. Clarisse responded with, “Oh, we’re most peculiar” (Bradbury 7). This shows how much the McClellans wanted to stand out and be different in a world of people who were all the same. When Montag learned this he realized that it was okay to be curious. She would always point out new things to him, like the dew on the grass or facts about how things used to be. Montag found that he had to search his brain to see if he had ever known or noticed these things. This was the first time Montag had to think. Clarisse planted a seed in Montag’s head to make him crave learning, which led up to him stealing and reading books. When Clarisse mysteriously disappeared, there was an empty void in Montag’s life. Clarisse made Montag curious about being curious, just like her, and this led Montag to huge changes in his character later on in the …show more content…
When Montag starts learning, he realizes how incompatible he and his wife are. Upon talking with Clarisse, he starts thinking that perhaps they are not in love and never were, “‘What a shame,’ she (Clarisse) said. ‘You’re not in love with anyone’” (Bradbury 19). Mildred is addicted to what society wants her to be addicted to: seashell radios and parlor walls. Montag had always been blind to this. Now he realizes that she loves her “family” on the parlor walls more than she loves him. He recognizes that any connection that they may have had in the past is now gone. A turning point within a turning point in Montag’s character is when he begins reading and invites his wife to join him. She is completely detached from him at this point and does not want to have anything to do with Montag. Mildred does not want to make the effort to connect with her husband. Instead, she would rather stay in the comfortable world of her parlor walls and fake friends. Nothing about love should be comfortable and easy, but Mildred only wants her relationship with her husband to be effortless and detached. To her, everything should have a snap ending and you should not feel obliged to be attached to anything. This was a critical moment in Montag’s character, when he realized how his wife was different from
When Montag met this new neighbor, he realized not everyone has to go with the regular ebb and flow of society. Clarisse was weird. She stood out, was different, and exceeded his expectations in every way. When Montag thought he had seen it all from her, the next day she would have another surprise for him. The first time they had a conversation, Montag asked her about her family. Clarisse responded with, “Oh, we’re most peculiar” (Bradbury 7). This shows how much the McClellans wanted to stand out and be different in a world of people who were all the same. When Montag learned this he realized that it was okay to be curious. She would always point out new things to him, like the dew on the grass or facts about how things used to be. Montag found that he had to search his brain to see if he had ever known or noticed these things. This was the first time Montag had to think. Clarisse planted a seed in Montag’s head to make him crave learning, which led up to him stealing and reading books. When Clarisse mysteriously disappeared, there was an empty void in Montag’s life. Clarisse made Montag curious about being curious, just like her, and this led Montag to huge changes in his character later on in the …show more content…
When Montag starts learning, he realizes how incompatible he and his wife are. Upon talking with Clarisse, he starts thinking that perhaps they are not in love and never were, “‘What a shame,’ she (Clarisse) said. ‘You’re not in love with anyone’” (Bradbury 19). Mildred is addicted to what society wants her to be addicted to: seashell radios and parlor walls. Montag had always been blind to this. Now he realizes that she loves her “family” on the parlor walls more than she loves him. He recognizes that any connection that they may have had in the past is now gone. A turning point within a turning point in Montag’s character is when he begins reading and invites his wife to join him. She is completely detached from him at this point and does not want to have anything to do with Montag. Mildred does not want to make the effort to connect with her husband. Instead, she would rather stay in the comfortable world of her parlor walls and fake friends. Nothing about love should be comfortable and easy, but Mildred only wants her relationship with her husband to be effortless and detached. To her, everything should have a snap ending and you should not feel obliged to be attached to anything. This was a critical moment in Montag’s character, when he realized how his wife was different from