Culture In Fahrenheit 451
All of our sources of knowledge, taken away and modified by a society that thinks we need to be equal. This is the society that the people in the book Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury live in. The story is about the protagonist, Guy Montag, and his life in this society. He is a fireman, (In this story firemen burn books) and realizes one day that something’s not right about their society. He starts reading books, and that is when things start to become problematic, but also, when things start to make sense. This essay will outline the culture, characters, and themes of Fahrenheit 451. A main element in Fahrenheit 45 is the culture of society. The people in this society are sheep. They follow the government as sheep follow their herder. One example
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The protagonist in this story, Guy Montag, changes a lot throughout the story. Guy seems to be just a normal fireman until he meets a girl named Clarisse. Clarisse makes Guy rethink who he really is when she asks him if he’s happy and he says to himself, “Of course I’m happy. What does she think? I’m not? (Bradbury 8). As the quote explains, Guy is really having trouble dealing with himself. He is a fireman but isn’t sure if he wants to be one anymore after what Clarisse talked to him about. Montag has a very interesting relationship with his wife, Mildred. In our society today, marriage is a very meaningful sacrament. Guy and Mildred’s relationship seems more like a mutual agreement than actual love. In the book, Guy cannot even remember where him and his wife first met: . This is a clear indication that the people in this society have almost no emotion and are brainwashed. Another main character is Captain Beatty. Captain Beatty is the antagonist of the story and a fireman who works with Guy Montag. Even though Beatty is a fireman, he seems to be very knowledgeable on books. Many times in Fahrenheit 451, he quotes famous quotes and seems to be more knowledgeable than the average man: “All’s well that is well in the end.” (Bradbury 104) Beatty says this to confuse Montag even though Beatty obviously knows the actual Shakespearian quote, “All’s well that ends well.” Although Beatty seems very educated, he acts like he wants to die. Towards the end of the book, Beatty teases Montag to kill him after Montag torches his
The protagonist in this story, Guy Montag, changes a lot throughout the story. Guy seems to be just a normal fireman until he meets a girl named Clarisse. Clarisse makes Guy rethink who he really is when she asks him if he’s happy and he says to himself, “Of course I’m happy. What does she think? I’m not? (Bradbury 8). As the quote explains, Guy is really having trouble dealing with himself. He is a fireman but isn’t sure if he wants to be one anymore after what Clarisse talked to him about. Montag has a very interesting relationship with his wife, Mildred. In our society today, marriage is a very meaningful sacrament. Guy and Mildred’s relationship seems more like a mutual agreement than actual love. In the book, Guy cannot even remember where him and his wife first met: . This is a clear indication that the people in this society have almost no emotion and are brainwashed. Another main character is Captain Beatty. Captain Beatty is the antagonist of the story and a fireman who works with Guy Montag. Even though Beatty is a fireman, he seems to be very knowledgeable on books. Many times in Fahrenheit 451, he quotes famous quotes and seems to be more knowledgeable than the average man: “All’s well that is well in the end.” (Bradbury 104) Beatty says this to confuse Montag even though Beatty obviously knows the actual Shakespearian quote, “All’s well that ends well.” Although Beatty seems very educated, he acts like he wants to die. Towards the end of the book, Beatty teases Montag to kill him after Montag torches his