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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.