Ignorance In Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451

Words: 964
Pages: 4

Ignorance is truly bliss to the misinformed and privileged. It leaves them happy and content, and they are never worried about the future simply because they have no idea of the danger it imposes. Within the book, Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury writes about a man, named Montag, who realizes that ignorance maybe not be bliss but life of deceit and malice. In Ray Bradbury's book, Fahrenheit 451, Montag’s adventure leads him to find the power of knowledge. This storyline follows the legendary hero steps, including the Call to Adventure, when Clarisse questions if Montag is happy, the next steps Bradbury uses is the Belly of the Whale, when Montag burns down his house and goes on the run, the final but not the only way that Bradbury uses the hero …show more content…
“Beatty, he thought, you’re not a problem now.”(Bradbury 124) This thought was going through Montag’s head after he burned Beatty alive and was attacked by the mechanical hound. Joseph Campbell's Belly of the whale is apart of the hero's journey because in the hero's adventure they need to reach a point where they are obligated to finish their quest. They have reached the point of no return and they have no other option than to run and fight. This step is called the Belly of the Whale. This is the point of no return and an example of this is when Montag kills Beatty. Beatty is the captain of their firefighter department and has a huge role of authority. By Montag killing Beatty that makes him a criminal and a traitor in the eyes of the law. The next piece of evidence is “The house fell in red coals and black ash.” narrates the author. (Bradbury 131) Montag was forced to burn his own house down because he has been accused of having books in his home. This lines up with this step because this part is where Montag burns his own house shows that he could never go back to the life he once had. This reminds him that his wife turned him in and that she fled, leaving him to the wolves. Montag is truly alone and can do nothing but continue his journey because if he does not then all his efforts will be wasted ones. Brandbury showed how the steps of the hero's journey can be related to 2 ways! The Calling of Adventure all started with a strange girl, and the Belly of the Whale showed itself with Montag killed Beatty and had to burn down his own house. He can never turn back