What is a true utopian society? Do they even exist? In the book Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, the main character Montag learns that individuality is what makes a society complete, whether it is a utopia or dystopia. Many events and people changed his way of thinking. Although Montag was brainwashed at the beginning, he learned that people should have their own ideas and thoughts but still respect others. Clarisse sparked new ideas in Montag’s head because of her uncommon thoughts that made her unique. At the beginning, he believed that nothing was wrong with his job because it is a normal occupation in his society. His reoccurring thoughts were, “Of course I am happy. What does she think I’m not?” (Bradbury 8). Where he lives, nobody gets a feel for any emotions. Montag is not sure what his mood is, although it seems like he does. After meeting Clarisse, she explains to him her lifestyle and he realizes that may be the right way to live. As soon as Clarisse came, it did not take much to give Montag a mind of his own. …show more content…
Mildred tells Montag, “I wouldn’t do a thing like that. Why would I do a thing like that?” (Bradbury 17). She denies the fact that she overdosed on sleeping pills. At first, Montag did not understand why Mildred is so forgetful and stubborn, but he later began to understand that Mildred was desensitized. This is the first person like that, that Montag noticed, and it was his own wife. Because Mildred was brainwashed, she gave Montag the push he needed to put the thought and effort into helping the
Montag questions his love for Mildred, and hers in return. He realizes that if Mildred were to die, he would not even be sad. All she seems to care about is her ‘family.’ When they try to remember when, where, and how they met [and realize they can’t remember], Montag starts to realize that he is in a loveless marriage.
Previously, Montag had been yelling at her and her friends about the flaws in their society, as well as reading a part of a poem, which was considered illegal. “‘Was it my wife turned in the alarm?’ Beatty nodded,” (Bradbury 117). By turning Montag in to the authorities, Mildred had finally put her foot down and made one of the first real decisions in her life. The reader still pities Mildred, even though her actions harmed her husband, because Bradbury has built her character to show how her actions reflected upon her battle between choosing her society or her family.
Over time, science fiction novels have presented unique insights into the future, with both imaginative thinking and radical possibilities for the world. These can involve drastic alterations to people, society, morals, and specifically, technology. While technology can have plenty of obvious advantages, it can also have just as many disadvantages with excessive abuse and manipulation over people. Acclaimed science fiction writer, Ray Bradbury, brought new perspectives to the possible detriments of technology, just when it was beginning to develop with typewriters and thirteen-inch, black and white television screens. In the sixty-three years of writing he did, Bradbury created a myriad number of diverse characters in hundreds of various situations,
“He wore his happiness like a mask and the girl had run off across the lawn with the mask and there was no way of going to knock on her door and ask for it back.” This shows that after thinking about it Montag is not happy with his life and thinks that he was just wearing a mask of happiness that was taken by Clarisse. Clarisse influenced this because of her question asking Montag if he was happy. This quote shows that Montag is dissatisfied with his life and is not happy which was just uncovered by
What might be the most important however, is she correctly identifies that Montag is in fact, not happy. Montag thought he was content, as he was like all others, and he didn't know anything else. He never considered improvement, new ideas, changes, but Clarisse forcing him to consider things. He tries to ignore this, but then his wife attempts to kill herself, blasting this to the forefront of his
Ray Bradbury’s Dystopia Have you ever thought of how our world will evolve in the future? In the dystopian novel Fahrenheit 451 written by Ray Bradbury, the government has banned all books. The protagonist, Guy Montag, is a fireman; however, he starts house on fire instead of putting fires out. He is responsible for burning all houses containing books. Society has become very distant, yet similar.
Montag was never really happy with Mildred, his happiness was a mask he didn't know about. The mask had been taken off when Montag's true colors were shown. Mildred wasn't much of a wife, or friend, to Montag. Mildred was only an acquaintance to Montag, as Montag didn't feel devastated for long. ¨Mildred, leaning anxiously nervously, as if to plunge, drop, fall into that swarming immensity of color to drown in its bright happiness.¨ (Bradbury 152)
(MIP 3) The citizens of the society end up being damaged when this control is enforced. (SIP A) This control being enforced makes people lose their emotions and lose value for the things they need value for. (STEWE 1) Citizens of Montag’s society hold more value for their parlor and technology rather than their family members.
His resultant search for knowledge destroys the unquestioning ignorance he used to share with nearly everyone else, and he battles the basic beliefs of his society. Bradbury shows through the development of Montag’s character that people must have the freedom to think for themselves and to act on their ideas—to be individuals. As Montag opens his eyes
Montag's life is spiraling out of control when he meets Clarisse and says this about her after her death, " But Clarisse's favorite subject wasn't herself. It was everyone else, and me. She was the first person in a good many years I've really liked. She was the first person I can remember who looked straight at me as if I counted"(Bradbury 142-143).
Montag and Mildred have been married for years, but Montag still feels as if he doesn’t know the woman he’s married to. In the text, Bradbury states, “And [Montag] [remembers] thinking then that if [Mildred] dies, he [is] certain he wouldn’t cry. For it would be dying of an unknown, a street face, a newspaper image, and it [is] suddenly so very wrong that he [has] begun to cry, not at death but at the thought of not crying at death, a silly empty man near a silly empty woman,
From one of his first experiences with Clarisse, Montag feels something that he realizes he never felt before in his daily life. He ponders to himself, "How rarely did other people's faces take of you and throw back to your own expression, your own innermost trembling thought?" (Bradbury 8). What Montag is pondering about is how she behaved so attentive and natural towards
Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury, is a classic novel that challenges authority through self-discovery and growth. The main character Guy Montag is a dedicated fireman. He enjoys his job, watching pages of books become nothing more than burnt ash. He has never questioned anything before, nor has he had a reason to. That is, until he encounters three important individuals that seem to influence a change in Montag and ultimately change his world.
It is seen here Montag was following Clarisse’s footsteps and that throughout this novel he was trying to follow what Clarisse stood for. This is accomplished when Montag begins reading and vacates his job. Looking back, it can be seen Montag had an appreciation for Clarisse like a mentor. Clarisse influenced Montag to read books and therefore eventually act
The first line of dialogue that Montag says is “it was a pleasure to burn”(pg. 1), which elucidates that he is just like the rest of the society. Bradbury introduces both of these characters as ignorant so the reader is able to draw a similarity between the way Montag is illustrated in the first page and how Mildred is characterized throughout the novel. This aids in tracing Montag’s coming of age journey because as he gets enlightened, the reader is able to distinguish how his mindset starts to diverge further away from Mildred’s. At the very end of the second chapter leading into the beginning of the third chapter, Beatty orders Montag to burn his own house, and as Beatty is speaking to Montag, Mildred runs past them “with her body stiff”(pg. 108). Through the employment of body language, Bradbury implies that Mildred is the one that turned Montag in to