Montag's Loyalty In Fahrenheit 451

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One passage from, Ray Bradbury’s, Fahrenheit 451 that is crucial to understanding the protagonist, Montag, is, “He was not happy. He said the words to himself. He recognized this as the true state of affairs. 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.” from page 9. Montag is different from everyone else from the very beginning of the novel. While in the beginning, he is a fireman with no qualms about book burning, he still stands apart from the crowd. This passage shows his differences, by informing the reader that he is aware of his unhappiness. Throughout the novel, the blatant misery of characters is shown. Mildred, Montag’s wife, attempts …show more content…
Mrs. Phelps, a friend of Mildred, is shown to have little emotion about her husband in the war, but is later moved to tears at a poem reading. “He said, if I get killed off, you just go right ahead and don’t cry, but get married again, and don’t think of me...Where ignorant armies clash by night. Mrs. Phelps was crying,” page 97. By admitting he isn’t happy, Montag shows that he is able to look deeper into himself and comprehend more than his fellow peers. This is crucial to understanding, Montag because his unhappiness is what drives him throughout the novel. He begins to speak with Clarisse and question his surroundings more in an attempt to discover why he is so unhappy. It’s his search for happiness that leads him to banned books which seem to fill the emptiness inside of him. Beatty attempts to convince Montag that the controversial ideas in books aren’t fun and happiness is fun (page 50-52), but Montag understands that the frivolous, bland, idea of “fun” leaves out any emotions, both good and bad, and is what has caused his misery. This passage is crucial to understanding Montag, as his self-awareness is what drives his
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