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8/19/2019 Fahrenheit 451 Essay on Guy Montag
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To be Pulled from The Cave
A group of men, chained to the wall in a cave from birth are rewarded for recognizing shadows
on the wall opposite to them. This being the only world they had ever known, one is pulled from the
cave and is brought to the real world. Consequently, that one man cannot return to his old life; this is the
Allegory of the Cave. Montag’s story in Fahrenheit 451 closely follows the Allegory of the Cave. In the
beginning, he was conformed to society, being a typical fireman. However, when he meets Clarisse,
who challenges society, his true colors show. Montag’s bravery and desire for autonomy, fueled by his
curiosity, are what truly define him as a character.
Montag bravely breaks the law, risks his life, and ultimately takes a life for his curiosity. Firstly,
Montag breaks the law by hiding books. He, as a fireman, would definitely know the consequences of
such an act, but he “[carries] the books into the backyard and [hides] them in the bushes near the alley
fence” (Bradbury 102). Montag’s curiosity is greater than his respect for the law. Furthermore, Montag
is willing to risk his own life for knowledge. When Faber suggests an extremely dangerous plan as a
joke, Montag responds that if “[Faber] thought it were a plan worth trying, [he’d] have to take [his]
word for it” (86). Montag would throw his life away to sate his hunger for knowledge. Moreover,
Montag will take a life to protect his books. When Beatty commands Montag to burn his own books,
he disobeys and uses his flamethrower on Beatty, turning him into “writing flame on the lawn as Montag
[shoots] one pulse of continuous liquid fire” (119). Montag is even willing to kill his captain to save his
precious knowledge. In conclusion, Montag does things that require the utmost bravery and courage to
obtain and protect knowledge.
Besides his bravery, one of Montag’s key traits is his desire for autonomy, easily seen in his
resistance of any kind of control. Firstly, he wants to do things on his own. When Faber tells Montag
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just to do what he says, Montag responds: “When do I get to work things out on my own?” (92). Even
when people he trusts try to control him in the slightest bit, he challenges it. Moreover, Montag wants
to be able to read and understand books. He asks Mildred: “If you love me at all you’ll put up with this,
twenty four, forty eight hours, that’s all I ask, then it’ll be over, I promise, I swear!” (67). He is begging
for this opportunity to read all the books he’s stolen. Further, Montag simply wants to be heard. In the
society he lives in, no one wants to listen or think; Montag just “[wants] someone to hear what [he has]
to say” (92). He tries to talk to the people he trusts most, his captain and his wife, but they don’t listen
to him; finally, in Faber, he finds an opportunity to be heard. Hence, Montag resists any control and
defies his society’s laws to create choices for himself.
Further, another one of Montag’s key traits is his curiosity, which drives Montag throughout the
story and motivates his every action. Firstly, he wants to know about the books. Montag steals books
because he “wants to look at them, at least once” (63). His curiosity is what drives him to commit this
crime. Moreover, he wants not only to be able to read the books, but to truly understand them. Faber
tells him that there is nothing magical in books, but rather, the “magic is only in what books say, how
they stitched the patches of the universe together in one garment for [them]” (83). Montag’s curiosity is
what drives him to talk to this potential criminal, defying everything that his society stood for. Lastly,
with the knowledge that Montag has gained, he begins to question his entire life. He asks Beatty if “in
the old days, before homes were completely fireproofed- didn’t firemen prevent fires rather than stoke
them up and get them going?” (34). Montag no longer trusts society, and has begun to ponder its flaws.
In conclusion, Montag’s curiosity drives his actions throughout the novel.
Ergo, Montag’s courage, desire for autonomy, and most importantly, his curiosity, are what
define his character. They guide his every move and drive the novel to its ending: Montag’s departure
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from the city. Thus, this can once again be related to the Allegory of the Cave, as Montag has been
pulled up from the void of ignorance to the light of knowledge and intelligence. However, with
technology slowly taking over modern society and with printed books being swapped out for Kindles
and iPads, a censored world as Fahrenheit 451 depicts is definitely possible. Then it will be up to the
people, not heroes or figureheads, to pull themselves from the cave.
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