How Montag Changes In Fahrenheit 451

In “Fahrenheit 451” the symbol fire represent different meaning that change throughout the book. Through the firemen who burn books and where the symbol 451 on their hat is a means of destruction. 451 is on their helmets to show the degree in which paper from the book ignites. Yet at the same time, Clarisse reminds Montag about candle light, when controlled, symbolizes flickering, knowledge or self awareness. Fire can also represent censorship because the burning of books was to keep the citizens uninformed by burning books which is a mean of taking control of the citizens. Fire was first introduced to the readers as something Montag took pleasure in but as he is getting more informed he slowly stops enjoying to burn things. “It

Fire. The symbol of destruction, warmth, and renewal, is a prominent theme in the novel Fahrenheit 451, written by Ray Bradbury. Guy Montag, lives in a bleak, advanced United States where any and books have been made illegal and are replaced with entertainment and technology. The use of fire in the past was to give warmth and heat and has now been replaced for the use destruction and satisfaction. Montag’s job as a fireman is to burn books and houses that have books stowed away. Montag’s view of fire and burning items in the first act is destruction and is completely changed by the end of the book, when he views fire as a symbol of

At the start of the book, Montag loves fire. He sees it as something that can destroy evil and alter reality. He thinks that “It [is] a pleasure to burn” (1). When he burns the books that people illegally hide in

A fire starts out as a small match, and it moves to a roaring flame. Guy Montag is also a simple match when he is introduced in Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. He starts out as a casual fireman, and he is hypnotized by society. Montag’s life sees a spark of change as the story begins. Many events influence his characteristics. When he is filling a house with kerosene and the lady inside voluntarily remains inside to burn. When the house is finally ignited, Montag suddenly ponders why a person would die over books. He fights to find a clear answer and discovers that only books can restore thought to society. Montag is a changing character throughout the novel. Like a match held to a newspaper, Montag’s mind starts searing away in thought.

In the beginning of the book Ray Bradbury shows how Montog reacts to fire when he is ignorant. Montag did not think about what he was doing while he burned books because he had not began reading books himself. “Montag grinned the fierce grin of all men singed and driven back by flame. He knew that when he returned to the firehouse, he might wink at himself, a minstrel man, burnt corked, in the mirror.(4)” This quote shows Montag's outlook on fire before he began reading books himself. Montag was a complex character in Fahrenheit 451. His views constantly change as the story progresses. In the end of the book, Bradbury showed him and his reactions to fire where, after his ignorance had been lifted. He had realized that it could do more than cause destruction and take away pieces of art away, but that it could help bring people together. Bradbury shows this when montag finds people come together around fire rather than be pulled apart because of it: “It was not only the fire that was different. It was the silence that was concerned with all of the world.(146)” Montag looked at the fire at the end of the book and felt happy and at peace with the world. He did not feel anger or a resistance to the fire, but he was one with it and was no longer ignorant to how special books

Fire represents change in the novel because fire allows Montag to undergo a symbolic change in which he stops using fire to burn knowledge but instead help him find it. Guy uses fire to

Montag witnesses the amiable effects of knowledge on Clarisse when he first meets her and becomes exposed to her powerful curiosity and intellect. During this encounter, Montag observes that her face "was [a] fragile milk crystal with a soft constant light in [...] the strangely comfortable and rare and gently flattering light of the candle,"(Bradbury 5). The light used to describe Clarisse symbolizes her wisdom that she uses to entice Montag. As a result, she is described in pleasurable way, connoted through Bradbury's use of the words "soft,"" "comfortable," and "gently flattering." This shows that Clarisse's intellect develops her character as delightful throughout the novel. Unlike Clarisse, other figures in the novel are portrayed through the motif of darkness. The firemen, as conformist, burn books in their society to maintain "equality." After his final encounter with Clarisse, Montag observes the firemen in the firehouse as "they lit their eternally burning black pipes. They and their charcoal hair and soot-colored brows and bluish ash smeared cheeks,"(Bradbury 30). The firemen burn books, the essence of knowledge, thus they are responsible for the widespread establishment of ignorance in their society. As a result, the firemen are described with dark features through the words "charcoal," "ash,"and "soot." The connotation of these dark adjectives contributes to the characterization of the firemen as destructive, representing their ruination of society. Therefore, the motifs of light and dark contribute to the characterization of Clarisse and the

As Montag walks home from work that night, he meets Clarisse McClellan, his 17 year old neighbor. Montag is at once taken aback by and drawn to the precocious girl's inquisitiveness. Clarisse loves nature, doesn't watch television, and hates cars that drive fast. She questions him steadily about his perception of the world, leaving him with the query "Are you happy?" Clarisse leaves a strong impression on Montag, and he continues to reflect on their brief encounter and her very different way of viewing the world. After some time, Montag comes to terms with his answer to Clarisse's final question. He is not happy.

Throughout Fahrenheit 451 Guy Montag goes through many changes and by the end of the story, he is ultimately an entirely different person. He is not responsible for all of the changes on his own however, and several characters play an essential role in shaping who he eventually becomes. At the beginning of the book, Montag encounters a teenage girls named Clarisse. Clarisse is only present for a short time, however she immediately gets Montag to think in a way he never has before. She looks at the small things in life and goes against what the current society tells her to think and do. She is different from everyone else in a very freeing way and Montag starts to be drawn into her personality. She is like a burst of fresh air for Montag

In the novel Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury, there are many different characters and each one plays a different role. One of the main characters, Guy Montag, is a fireman who takes pride in his work and enjoys burning books as a part of his job. His outlook about burning books changes after he meets Clarisse McClellan and Professor Faber. It’s very interesting how Montag’s way of thinking transforms overtime. He becomes very courageous about hiding books and is also curious about reading them. Throughout the novel his actions, ideas, and his feelings change as he starts to think for himself.

In Fahrenheit 451 ,written by Ray Bradbury, the motif of fire, sparks an interest in the reader which pulls them into the life of Guy Montag. In the daily life of Montag, Bradbury portrays the importance of fire in the censored society. From Montag's standpoint the reader gains a clear perspective of the symbolism and importance of fire. Throughout the story fire is used to represent a different emotion or characteristic. At the start of the book fire symbolizes destruction; towards the middle of the book fire is used to represent change and discovering ones identity; and finally at the conclusion of the story fire symbolizes renewal and rebirth.

This symbolizes a crack in Montag’s shell of ignorance and shows how he is capable of thinking about the past with the knowledge he gained from Clarisse. Moreover, the shell of ignorance breaks even more when Clarisse compares Montag to other citizens. In her narration, she describes how different Montag is and how she feels it is strange that he is a fireman:

This change is dangerous for Montag, because being a fireman got him closer to books. Books were illegal, possessing them, reading them, even remembering them made other people think they were crazy. The closer he got to books, the more curious he became of them. Two things pushed him over the edge, deaths, the death of Clarisse and a random old woman who burned in her home with her books. This strengthened his curiosity and he started to steal books from the houses he burned.

People have mixed emotions but, not as much as Montag! Guy Montag in the Book Fahrenheit 451 sees fire as hate, destruction, loss, and death but then sees it as love and growth at the end of the novel. Montag's view of fire change throughout the novel. Montag sees how wrong fire is and how it can be dangerous like killing people. Then seeing fire not as hate or destruction but, the true colors of fire in a way he never saw before.

Light in August, a novel written by the well-known author, William Faulkner, can definitely be interpreted in many ways. However, one fairly obvious prospective is through a religious standpoint. It is difficult, nearly impossible, to construe Light in August without noting the Christian parallels. Faulkner gives us proof that a Christian symbolic interpretation is valid. Certain facts of these parallels are inescapable and there are many guideposts to this idea.