The Fire Starter Firemen are made to put out fires. Guy Montag is an exception. In Fahrenheit 451, a fictional novel by Ray Bradbury, it is set in the future and books are illegal. The firemen no longer put out fires, but start them. They get calls from people who believe their neighbors are in possession of books and they go to the suspected house and ransack it until they find the books. Once they find the books the firemen burn them and the house in which they were in. Through the characterization of Guy Montag as paranoid, courageous, and curious, Ray Bradbury reveals that words and ideas can change the world and the way that people view things. Guy Montag is very paranoid because he is constantly second-guessing himself and worrying
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There is a paradox in the beginning of the story when he is describing what he does because Montag states that: “It was a pleasure to burn”(1), talking about burning books and houses, yet he has books hidden at home in the ventilator. Montag is trying to trick himself into believing that he does enjoy it, when he would rather have nothing to do with it. He is courageous because he is lying not only his peers, but he is lying to himself. When Montag is in the presence of professors and scholars in the forest and he is talking about Mildred and he confides in them, “‘ It’s strange, I don 't miss her… Even if she dies, I realized a moment ago, I don 't think I’ll feel sad. It isn’t right. Something must be wrong with me’”(148). Montag realizes that she doesn 't mean that much to him after all, and he finally got the courage to admit that. He is braver than most to actually admit that he wouldn 't be devastated if his wife was killed. While Montag is floating down the river he thinks to himself, “ The sun burn[s] everyday. It burn[s] Time… time [is] busy burning the years and the people anyway, without any help from him. So if he burn[s] things with the firemen and the sun burn[s] Time, that mean[s] that everything burn[s]”(134). Montag doesn 't feel that it’s necessary for the firemen to continue burning because the sun will …show more content…
His curiosity shows when he talks to Mildred about the woman who blew herself up and how he was thinking about quoting his job. Mildred argued that having possession of the books was illegal in the first place, but Guy counters with, “‘ You weren 't there you didn 't see,’ he said. ‘There must be something in books, things we cant imagine, to make a woman stay in a burning; there must be something there. You don 't stay for nothing’”(48). Montag believes that there is something more to books than just the words. He believes there is meaning to the words and maybe something that can help fix this terrible society. Montag goes to Faber with his questions and hopes to get answers. Guy brings him a book, Faber looks it over and asks, “‘ Do you know why books such as this are so important? Because they have quality. And what does the word quality mean? To me it means texture. This book has pores.’”(79). Faber believes that people need more quality information instead of just watching programs on the television. Montag’s curiosity led him to meet with Faber to ask these question and to gain knowledge. When they were collecting the books at the suicidal woman’s house, Montag caught sight of a line in an open book. The next book that flew into his hands “it plunged the book back under his arm, pressed it tight to sweating armpit, [and] rushed out empty, with a magician’s flourish!”(35). He was so curious about what
There is a paradox in the beginning of the story when he is describing what he does because Montag states that: “It was a pleasure to burn”(1), talking about burning books and houses, yet he has books hidden at home in the ventilator. Montag is trying to trick himself into believing that he does enjoy it, when he would rather have nothing to do with it. He is courageous because he is lying not only his peers, but he is lying to himself. When Montag is in the presence of professors and scholars in the forest and he is talking about Mildred and he confides in them, “‘ It’s strange, I don 't miss her… Even if she dies, I realized a moment ago, I don 't think I’ll feel sad. It isn’t right. Something must be wrong with me’”(148). Montag realizes that she doesn 't mean that much to him after all, and he finally got the courage to admit that. He is braver than most to actually admit that he wouldn 't be devastated if his wife was killed. While Montag is floating down the river he thinks to himself, “ The sun burn[s] everyday. It burn[s] Time… time [is] busy burning the years and the people anyway, without any help from him. So if he burn[s] things with the firemen and the sun burn[s] Time, that mean[s] that everything burn[s]”(134). Montag doesn 't feel that it’s necessary for the firemen to continue burning because the sun will …show more content…
His curiosity shows when he talks to Mildred about the woman who blew herself up and how he was thinking about quoting his job. Mildred argued that having possession of the books was illegal in the first place, but Guy counters with, “‘ You weren 't there you didn 't see,’ he said. ‘There must be something in books, things we cant imagine, to make a woman stay in a burning; there must be something there. You don 't stay for nothing’”(48). Montag believes that there is something more to books than just the words. He believes there is meaning to the words and maybe something that can help fix this terrible society. Montag goes to Faber with his questions and hopes to get answers. Guy brings him a book, Faber looks it over and asks, “‘ Do you know why books such as this are so important? Because they have quality. And what does the word quality mean? To me it means texture. This book has pores.’”(79). Faber believes that people need more quality information instead of just watching programs on the television. Montag’s curiosity led him to meet with Faber to ask these question and to gain knowledge. When they were collecting the books at the suicidal woman’s house, Montag caught sight of a line in an open book. The next book that flew into his hands “it plunged the book back under his arm, pressed it tight to sweating armpit, [and] rushed out empty, with a magician’s flourish!”(35). He was so curious about what