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Is Montag Truly a Fearless Fireman? Farenheit 451 is a futuristic novel that concentrates on the forbidden act of reading, for this may encourage thinking. Guy Montag, the main character, is a fireman. Today, we translate the word fireman as someone who extinguishes fire, but in the setting and time of this novel, fireman has a whole different meaning than what we are accustomed to. Instead of putting out fires, Montag has the job of burning any books that can be found. His character significantly changes throughout the novel, going from ruthless and hated to sympathetic and trusted.
As the novel begins, Guy Montag is a fireman who enjoys his work, which, unfortunately, is to find and burn books. He is extremely apathetic to the people whom the books belong, but does not realize the impact that his job may have on some people and the damage he is actually doing. Montag seems to love destruction, for no given or noticeable reason. He even takes on the appearance of a serpent in the line, with this great python spitting its venomous kerosene upon the world (p 3).
Even though Montag seems to be tough, he is very kind to Clarisse, the girl who had recently become his neighbor. Clarisse tells Montag that she is seventeen and crazy, but after listening to her thoughts on nature, among other things, he comes to appreciate her insight. This appreciation shows the softening of Montag's hard shell. As Clarisse begins to walk with Montag daily, he grows fond of her and starts to enjoy her company. He constantly remembers the question she asked him in the beginning of the novel, Are you happy? (p 10). After several conversations with Clarisse, he realizes that he is not truly happy with his marriage, his job, or his life in general.
He admits to the readers that he has married a selfish, lazy woman. Through this view into Montag's personal life, he becomes more human in the eyes of the reader. Montag witnesses a horrible occurance. A woman remained in her home while it was burned. He begins to see the wrongdoing in his work and starts to rebel against his original belief system by stealing and reading books. This act leads him to appreciate imagination and thoughtfulness.
At this point in the story, the reader no longer dislikes Montag, but is drawn to like him after seeing his characteristic changes. By reading, Montag takes many risks, and eventually becomes an outcast to his own town and home. In the end, he saves the town that was against him, turning him into a hero, just like in the books he has read. Although Montag is originally portrayed to be a monster, the reader learns that he is completely human. This character changes so significantly that it is nearly impossible to feel the same way about Montag in the end as the beginning.
He has been changed from a feared and ruthless fireman to an admired and trusted hero.
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Research essay sample on Guy Montag Fireman Books
