Montag “was blind” doing things his way (152; pt. 3). He recognized the flaws in his society, changed as an individual, and hoped to change others but failed. Montag was trying to change his society’s tendencies through unsuccessful methods. Because Montag is an ineffective catalyst in the novel Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, his society does not escape its destructive patterns.
Montag’s lack of adequately changing society left the citizens in the pattern of not thinking. Media in the novel, exemplified by Seashell Radios and the Family, is overwhelming, dizzying, and concussing. After experiencing this once, one feels “on the point of collapse”, he feels “drowned”, and he is sweating (45; pt. 1). After continually experiencing this process, one becomes brainwashed and regresses intellectually to match the norm of watching the Family often and never questioning the process. This pattern is also seen in the lack of mentally engaging …show more content…
Regression can be noticed in books becoming shorter, novels shrinking to magazine columns, and the magazines “then cut again” (55; pt. 2) to eventually diminish. Television is another example of regression by becoming exponentially more important in the citizen’s lives. Televisions came to be larger, became greater in number per home, and elicited the purchase of more programs. Mildred had three wall-sized televisions, “soon to be four” (46, pt. 1), with add-ons for interactive functions that she devoted nearly all of her time to. When Montag was given the opportunity to change this pattern of regression through Mildred’s friends, he read Mathew Arnold’s “Dover Beach” aloud to the women. Soon “Mrs. Phelps was crying” (100, pt. 2) for she was slightly touched by the message of the poem and almost entirely repulsed. Montag did not change regression in one person, much less society; he instead sped up the regression in the women’s
Montag’s lack of adequately changing society left the citizens in the pattern of not thinking. Media in the novel, exemplified by Seashell Radios and the Family, is overwhelming, dizzying, and concussing. After experiencing this once, one feels “on the point of collapse”, he feels “drowned”, and he is sweating (45; pt. 1). After continually experiencing this process, one becomes brainwashed and regresses intellectually to match the norm of watching the Family often and never questioning the process. This pattern is also seen in the lack of mentally engaging …show more content…
Regression can be noticed in books becoming shorter, novels shrinking to magazine columns, and the magazines “then cut again” (55; pt. 2) to eventually diminish. Television is another example of regression by becoming exponentially more important in the citizen’s lives. Televisions came to be larger, became greater in number per home, and elicited the purchase of more programs. Mildred had three wall-sized televisions, “soon to be four” (46, pt. 1), with add-ons for interactive functions that she devoted nearly all of her time to. When Montag was given the opportunity to change this pattern of regression through Mildred’s friends, he read Mathew Arnold’s “Dover Beach” aloud to the women. Soon “Mrs. Phelps was crying” (100, pt. 2) for she was slightly touched by the message of the poem and almost entirely repulsed. Montag did not change regression in one person, much less society; he instead sped up the regression in the women’s