Guy Montag example essay topic

In Ray Bradbury's novel Fahrenheit 451, Guy Montag goes through several changes. In the beginning, Montag is a manly fireman whose job is to burn books. He eventually finds an interesting girl, Clarisse, who makes him finally realize that society is completely controlled by the government. Montag is also changed by an old woman choosing to be burned along with her books. Bradbury relates his novel to the battle of censorship today. Montag is a fireman who never questioned anything until he met Clarisse.

Clarisse, a seventeen year-old girl opens Montags eyes to the emptiness of his life. After meeting Clarisse, Montag encounters several disturbing events. After the disturbances Montag starts realizing the weird things happening around him. For instance, the Denham's Dentrifice commercial that repeats in the train station.

He then starts wondering what books have to offer. After Montag misses a day of work his boss, Beatty, assures him that it's natural for fireman to wonder what books offer. Beatty then tells Montag to look through some books to see if they contain anything "worthwhile". Montag finds Faber, an English professor, who helps Montag read his books.

They both come up with a plan to help get books back in society. When Montag responds to a fire call, he is bewildered by an old woman with books. Montag insists that the woman come out of her house, but instead she sets herself afire along with her books, it is then that he realizes that books possess something great. He begins to think that if this old woman died for her books that there must be some importance in them. Montag then acquires stolen books and has twenty-four hours to read them. He finds Faber and they come up with a plan to change the world as they know it.

When Montag learns that a new mechanical hound is on his trail, Faber tells Montag that he's leaving for St. Louis, and Montag leaves by jumping in a river and losing his scent. Montag then meets the book people and they hope that after the war is over they can rebuild civilization with books. The problems of censorship today are regarded in this novel wrote by Ray Bradbury. Throughout the entire book Bradbury's character, Guy Montag, is somewhat related to a censor.

In the beginning, Montag never thinks for himself and does whatever the government wants him to do; burning books never crosses Montags mind of being bad. Once Montag meets Clarisse, he discovers the unnatural surroundings, causing him to think about what's happening. The changes of Montag in Fahrenheit 451 ands to the appeal in this book. Montag went from going along with the majority, to thinking for himself. Like much of us today, Montag was faced with the difficult task of thinking for himself. We, as society, like to have other people think for us, and not do what we want to.

By reading this book you will begin to ask yourself, am I really thinking for myself, or am I just being manipulated by the government?