Role Of Dystopia In Fahrenheit 451

Words: 1997
Pages: 8

In a futuristic society where books are banned and burned upon discovery, “firemen” start fires instead of putting them out, and transistors have consumed the lives of the population, Guy Montag, the protagonist of Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, struggles to coincide in an institution of unthinking, unperturbed inhabitants after meeting with an eccentric young neighbor, Clarisse McClellan; who provokes him into questioning everything he has ever known and believed to be true. To specify, Guy Montag, a “fireman” in this dystopian future, is responsible for destroying what is regarded as the most illegal of possessions, the printed book, along with the houses that shelter them. In the beginning of the novel, Montag never discloses feelings of …show more content…
When Montag is faced with this situation, he has difficulty acting independently of Beatty, Mildred, and Faber, and audaciously begins to openly read banned poetry to the women. Though ill-advised, Montag returns to the firehouse, and later receives an alarm submitted by his own wife on the collection of banned books he housed. It is important to note that throughout nearly all of the novel, Montag is not truly aware of why he takes certain actions, feeling that his hands and body move independently and of free will. He often ascribes these subconscious desires to defy authority to Clarisse or Faber, and repeatedly makes rash and irresponsible decisions, such as his choice to set Captain Beatty on fire after torching his own house upon alarm; which also represent his deepest desires to rebel and find a more meaningful way to live. By imputing his actions as independent and free of his own will, Montag hopes to ease the guilt and discontentment he feels while searching for answers within the books that once seemed worthless, but were now priceless. As stated in the text, “Montag hesitated. ‘What - was it always like