The entire book of Fahrenheit 451 was based upon the idea that knowledge is better than ignorance. Or, from Beatty's standpoint, is ignorance better than knowledge? Throughout the entire book Montag was searching for the unknown. When he stole the books from the house, and the bible from the firehouse, he did not know exactly what he was looking for, but he did know that he was looking for something. When he shared the books with his wife, he was trying share with her, trying to reach out to the only person that he as even think of reaching out to in such a cold society. And when she let him down he tried to find some more answers by reaching out to Faber. The ironic part about the book is while Montag was doing all of this searching, Beatty was suffering.
Beatty knew what it was like to have such knowledge. But being trapped in a world that he couldn't have anyone to share this knowledge with, he became angry and overpowering. His anger for not being able to share his knowledge about books drove his irritateing comments towards Montag, which he knew would drive Montag to the extreme. Beatty was a man of knowledge, he knew how to push peoples buttons. The ironic part about the story as a whole was each character, Montag and Beatty, seemed to have something that the other wanted. Beatty would have been happier if he were less ignorant, and Montag was just yearning for some knowledge. So was it better to have knowledge, or be ignorant in the society that Bradbury had set up in the book Fahrenheit 451?
C.) When I first read Fahrenheit 451 I thought it was a good book. However comparing it to other books we have read, my opinion has changed. Montag was a weak character, who not until the last few chapters knew what he was going against. There was a specific goal he wanted to obtain, and most of the time when he would do something against his society, he could and would not take responsibility for it. For example, when Montag killed Beatty towards the end of the book, he did not blame himself for his actions he blamed his hands. Comparing this book to The Anthem makes the overall character of Montag look lazy and his whole "cause" meaningless. The main character in The Anthem has a purpose. Although he did much of his knowledge gathering in secret, he did eventually present what he had found to the council. That was him taking responsibility for his actions. Any character, and also any person that is willing to take responsibility for their actions is admirable. Since Montag was not one of these characters, I found the book Fahrenheit 451 rather irritating.
1 comment:
I'm not quite sure I agree with your belief of Montag as a "weak" and "lazy" character. I don't disagree with the fact that Montag was unsure of himself as well as his motives throughout the novel, however I'm not sure he was a weak character. I mean, he did transform from the fireman he was, to a freethinking individual by the end of the novel. Does not this transition at least attest to some strength on Montag's behalf?
To side with Montag for a moment, one must put oneself in his shoes. Montag had been raised to believe that books were bad, and his view into the past had been extremely limited and biased. (Benjamin Franklin starting the firemen to burn books... etc.) Therefore, the beginnings of his questioning come when he is exposed to the freethinking, individualistic Clarisse. He associates with her because his doubt coincides with her free spirit. To be Montag in this instance, I would be frightened. He has witnessed firsthand the effects of individualism. (The woman who burns to death with her books; those suspected, being investigated and detained.) Unlike Equality 7-2521 in Anthem, Montag knows the pain and penalty of believing in something other than what "big brother" says on the television screen. Because of this his transition to a freethinking individual takes some time.
Addressing the moment when he kills Beatty, I think it's part of Montag's astonishment that causes him to blame his actions more so on his hands than his mind. Montag is still mentally figuring out who he is at this point, but he has credibility to be doing so. It's not easy for him, nor anyone I think, to completely disregard all learned past principles. The moment he kills Beatty, Montag is amazed at his own reaction, his own emotion, more than scapegoating his hands for his action. Therefore, although Montag is certainly unassimilated less quickly than Equality, it does not found your accusation of him being a weak character.
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