Preview

Corrupted Happiness: Farenheit 51

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
409 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Corrupted Happiness: Farenheit 51
Corrupted Happiness
In the novel Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury, Montag reflects on the life he was falsely living and this shows how people can turn their life around just by thinking about it a little. When Montag meets Clarisse, she asks him, “Are you happy?” And, while Montag did respond by saying, “Of course,” he keeps thinking about it, almost as if doubting his own words. After Clarisse leaves, Montag discusses the idea of his self-happiness with the walls of his house, showing that he is doing is self-assuring his “happiness”. This also made Montag remember the encounter with the old man in the park (later named Faber) and according to this event, which is later recalled in the story, the conversation between them was how the world they lived in was corrupted with the loss of books. You can question Montag’s happiness with the last two encounters with Clarisse and Faber. Another example of Montag reflecting on the choices he made in life was when Clarisse showed him to be curious and adventurous, and taste the rain. The statement that had the most effect on Montag was, “Sometimes I forget you’re even a fireman,” (Bradbury 23) in the book, firemen are talked about being hated and hating, yet Clarisse denies Montag from it. While Montag did make bad choices in his life and maybe in some way, was “oblivious” to his life, he did try to turn things around for himself. This is shown when he tries to cooperate with Faber and make a plan, involving framing the other firemen to get the rest of the people in the city to hate the firemen for HAVING books. His plan backfire swhen Beatty discovers that Montag has kept more books in his house. Trying to reflect upon yourself will leave you trying to answer questions, but in the end, will leave you with even more questions. People questioned on their life ask themselves, “Am I truly happy?” Sometimes you’re faced with intriguing choices to make on whether to keep living the way you are, or to try something new. Yet

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Better Essays

    Montag In Fahrenheit 451

    • 725 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Ever wonder how a person would change over the course of living in a dystopian society? Well, in the story of Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury, Montag is the protagonist. Montag is a firefighter, which is where they burn books instead of putting them out. Captain Beatty is the same as Montag, but not that quite… Ray Bradbury shows the differences between Montag and Beatty and shows how it affects Montag over the story, it also changes our perspective.…

    • 725 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    “Are you happy?” This quote was deeply focused on in the book Fahrenheit 451. When Guy Montag was asked this by Clarisse, his world changed. Isn’t it ironic how, “Are you happy?”, can make a person so unhappy? Here’s another question to ponder about. What is happiness? Is there a true definition of a happy person? Based on Fahrenheit 451, happiness can be represented by 3 things: materialistic objects, current situations, and happiness over hardship.…

    • 961 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The dynamic character, Guy Montag, from the novel Fahrenhe it 451, written by Ray Bradbury, shows by his actions that human society can easily become oppressive and regimented — unless it changes its tendency toward censorship. Montag starts out with the personality of being brainwashed by a corrupt society. The dynamic character is a fireman, and Bradbury chose to start the story with “It was a pleasure to burn” (1). Montag believes that by burning the books, he was purifying society. The society Montag lives in suppresses all intellectual curiosity; this explores the idea that at the start of the novel, Montag is a victim of an oppressive society. Once Montag meets Clarisse, he slowly starts to question the quality of his life and his role…

    • 377 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    From the beginning of “Fahrenheit 451 to the end of the novel, there are major transitions in Montag’s life. In the novel he is a firefighter who is sent on missions to burn the books in people’s homes. Throughout the novel, he reflects on his actions…

    • 892 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    “It was a pleasure to burn. It was a special pleasure to see things eaten, to see things blackened and changed.” In Ray Bradbury’s thrilling novel, Fahrenheit 451, Guy Montag is a fireman but firemen are different in this dystopia. He finds himself spending day after day burning houses and books to keep society conformed to the new laws. After meeting an eccentric girl named Clarisse McClellan she elucidates his myopic view on life. He becomes curious about books and then finds himself in a world of trouble. Montag figures out the theme of this novel, that being yourself is better than conforming.…

    • 764 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the novel Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury uses character development to support the theme of the importance of knowledge versus ignorance of knowledge. The knowledge books contain is ignored by society because of strict laws that prohibit people from reading books, and requires the burning of books. The law also influences people to ignore the knowledge contained in books with the hope of creating an equal society. Throughout the novel Guy Montag transforms through his interactions with others and self-realization to support the theme of the importance of knowledge versus ignorance of knowledge. He changes from a man who burns books, to one who enjoys and sees the value in them.…

    • 991 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the conversation Montag had with Beatty about Montag straying away from what is now considered “right, Beatty talks about the change in the school systems. Beatty goes as far as to generalize that everyone is happy because of this. In Fahrenheit 451, Bradbury writes “‘School is shortened , discipline relaxed, philosophies, histories, languages dropped, English and spelling gradually neglected, finally almost completely ignored. Life is immediate, the job counts, pleasure lies all about after work. Why learn anything save pressing buttons, pulling switches, fitting nuts and bolts?’” (55 & 56). Montag , already uneasy with the practices of the firemen, disagreed with this idea. He would later show this through acts of rebellion. This evidence shows that Montag is beginning to change. It also describes the poor living conditions and the lower value of life found in society at this…

    • 754 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    So far in my reading of Fahrenheit 451, I have learned about a man named Guy Montag. So far Montag’s life has not been filled with excitement or thrill, he has a pretty dull and boring life. Montag is married, but he isn't very content with it. He has just begun to understand how life really is. He and the people of this unknown city are living in the 24th century. Montag is a fireman in his 30’s and he along with many other people are under the belief that books are not to be read ever. In Montag’s time, firemen are not exactly what you think they would be. Today’s firemen put out fires and extinguish deadly flames. In there time, firemen start the fires and make the flames stronger. Today’s firemen…

    • 729 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The main character in Fahrenheit 451 is a 30-year-old firefighter named Guy Montag. As a fireman in this future, his job is to burn the most illegal item, the printed book, and the houses it is contained in. In the beginning of the story, Montag is a simple, law-abiding citizen who does what society wants. As the story progresses, Montag grows away from society and the law, becoming a rebel and a fugitive. He is described as a…

    • 900 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The whole idea of the government in Fahrenheit 451 revolves around the happiness of the people. Beatty, Montag’s boss and fire chief, had a deep discussion with Montag in part one of the book explaining how the government keeps everyone happy…

    • 598 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Montag’s growing conflict with his society’s values increases his desire for personal change. Montag’s job as a fireman, someone who burns books, facilitates his society’s anti-knowledge values, and Montag seems fairly satisfied with that. In fact, while working he would “grin the fierce grin” unique to members of his…

    • 1614 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Better Essays

    In the beginning of Fahrenheit 451, Montag is introduced as a firefighter. Every firefighter wears a helmet with the number 451 on it which symbolizes the degree at which books burn. Montag had always enjoyed the pleasure of burning books. The second line of the book says, “It was a special pleasure to see things eaten, to see things blackened and changed.” The joy of burning books and houses never escaped him, even at night when he went to sleep.…

    • 993 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Fahrenheit 451 Analysis

    • 669 Words
    • 3 Pages

    In Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury, the main character, Guy Montag, has many different shifts in attitude and thinking. Montag goes from being a mindless, government-operated drone, to a self-sustaining, enlightened thinker. In the beginning of Fahrenheit 451, we are introduced to Montag, a fireman who makes fires instead of putting them out. He sees burning as a pleasure, and he hates books. However, once he meets Clarisse McClellan, his mind begins to blossom like a flower. Therefore, Montag’s ideological progression truly started when he met Clarisse.…

    • 669 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the novel Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, Montag was your average firefighter in his ignorant community, who did what was told without hesitating. Until he decided to rise against and fight for what he believed. Despite his flaws Montag’s thoughts and actions are those of a hero. He is brave and a leader, he values knowledge, and he learns from his mistakes and tries to fix them.…

    • 704 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Montag’s views on society changes throughout Fahrenheit 451 as he reads books and meets several characters. Such as Clarisse, Beatty, and Faber. Clarisse asks questions that open his eyes to the emptiness of his life and society. Beatty who ruthlessly manipulates and bullies him with his vast knowledge of literature. Then, Faber who uses him to do what he could not because of his cowardice. Montag is a very conflicted character, when he starts reading books he is overwhelmed and confused by the complexity of what he has never seen before. This confusion leads him to make some terrible decisions.…

    • 384 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays