Character Analysis of Guy Montag
Johntay Fuller
Ms. Fleming & Ms. Humes
English
November 20, 2012
Character analysis of Guy Montag
“If they give you ruled paper, write the other way.” This quote by Juan Ramon Jimenez means that sometimes rules are meant to be broken and sometimes rules are not always for the betterment of society. Rules give us structure, but they can hinder our humanity towards one another. The book Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury is about a dystopian society where books are burned and outlawed. Guy Montag, a fireman, comes along, and he learns about a past where people were not afraid to read and break laws and learns this all cause of a girl named Clarisse McClellan, then he meets a man named Faber who teaches him how to understand books. Then realizes what he must do. Guy Montag gains humanity because he wants to change his way of thinking as well as the thoughts of others.
Guy Montag was extremely content with his job as a fireman burning books. Guy loves his job because in this fast paced society, people in this society do not read books; they burn books. Guy Montag got a call from someone while he was on the phone. Captain Beatty, Guy’s boss said they knew about a house with a lot of books in it. Instantly Guy reacts and rushes to the house with all the books immediately. ”It was a pleasure to burn. It was a special pleasure to see things blackened and changed. Montag grinned the fierce grin of all men singed and driven back by flames. He knew that when he returned to the firehouse, he might wink at himself, a minstrel man, burnt-corked, in the mirror” (2). This shows he loves to see books burned and turned into ash. It describes his feelings about seeing books burned. He enjoys seeing books burn because in the book it shows that fire gives him control and power. He doesn’t care about the house he is burning but is very ecstatic. It also shows he is very self-centered for not caring about the houses and the memories people had in them. This makes him content
Ms. Fleming & Ms. Humes
English
November 20, 2012
Character analysis of Guy Montag
“If they give you ruled paper, write the other way.” This quote by Juan Ramon Jimenez means that sometimes rules are meant to be broken and sometimes rules are not always for the betterment of society. Rules give us structure, but they can hinder our humanity towards one another. The book Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury is about a dystopian society where books are burned and outlawed. Guy Montag, a fireman, comes along, and he learns about a past where people were not afraid to read and break laws and learns this all cause of a girl named Clarisse McClellan, then he meets a man named Faber who teaches him how to understand books. Then realizes what he must do. Guy Montag gains humanity because he wants to change his way of thinking as well as the thoughts of others.
Guy Montag was extremely content with his job as a fireman burning books. Guy loves his job because in this fast paced society, people in this society do not read books; they burn books. Guy Montag got a call from someone while he was on the phone. Captain Beatty, Guy’s boss said they knew about a house with a lot of books in it. Instantly Guy reacts and rushes to the house with all the books immediately. ”It was a pleasure to burn. It was a special pleasure to see things blackened and changed. Montag grinned the fierce grin of all men singed and driven back by flames. He knew that when he returned to the firehouse, he might wink at himself, a minstrel man, burnt-corked, in the mirror” (2). This shows he loves to see books burned and turned into ash. It describes his feelings about seeing books burned. He enjoys seeing books burn because in the book it shows that fire gives him control and power. He doesn’t care about the house he is burning but is very ecstatic. It also shows he is very self-centered for not caring about the houses and the memories people had in them. This makes him content
Cited: Bradbury, Ray. Fahrenheit 451. New York: Del Ray Books, 1953.