Who is the hero of Fahrenheit 451?

Guy Montag is the protagonist and hero of the novel Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. Montag is the hero because he decides to stand up for what he believes in, while others stand by and watch the injustice of society. He can teach us that this one act is what really makes a hero instead of some guy in tights flying around fighting monsters. Standing up for your beliefs may seem easy in comparison to fighting off monsters like Superman, yet in standing up for what you believe in has many risks. Montag for example, stands up to his society by stealing books and reading them. He even plans with an old professor, named Faber, to start printing books again. He says as he plots with Faber "That's the good thing about dying; when you've nothing to lose, you run any risk that you want." (Bradbury 85). This shows that Montag is willing to risk his life for his cause and turn away from the life he has known.

One of the qualities that help make Montag a hero is his courage in doing the right thing. Montag is brave because he is willing to risk his old life for the advancement of society as a whole. He is aware that he could be discovered for harboring books and have his house burned down by his fellow firefighters (Bradbury 68). I don't know many people that would risk the loss of all of their material goods for books. Not only could Montag lose his house, but he could also lose his wife. Mildred, Montag's wife, does not believe in books and thinks her television shows are the important things in life (Bradbury 50). In addition, to losing his house and wife, Montag also risks losing his life. He says that just by trying to bring books back into his society, he is dying (Bradbury 85). This is courageous because he is willingly to die for the greater good of the world.

Bibliography:

Bradbury, Ray. Farenheit 451. New York: Ballantine, 1953. Print

What universal theme does Fahrenheit 451 address? What does the author understand about human nature?

In Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451, the universal theme that is addressed is the need for books and philosophy in society. In this novel, we see the impact that lack of thought has on Guy Montag's world. Everyone is just breezing through life and not taking anytime to actually cherish it. This can be seen especially in Montag's wife, Mildred. She spends all her time in a room with wall to floor screens on three sides of the room. All she does is sit in this room and interact with virtual people that she calls her "family" (Bradbury 73). The thing about the "family" though according to Faber, is that you can't argue with it for you have the power to make it into anything you want (Bradbury 84). Books on the other hand cause the reader to truly think and use reason to beat it down. Books are something that you cannot control and that what makes them crucial. When reading a book, if you come across a philosophy you don't like, you cannot simply take it out. All you can do is think about it. Books and philosophy is needed in society because books are concrete and cannot be changed with people's whims. This is especially needed in a world like ours, where mankind tries to control everything.

The author understands that human nature needs thought. In this book many people do not take the time to really think about things, but after awhile of that kind of lifestyle they began to seek much more in life. The primary example of this is Montag. He is a firefighter and loves his job burning books, until he meets a girl that asks questions (Bradbury 9). These questions cause Montag to truly think and change his whole outlook on life. This lack of serious thought in the world makes Montag yearn for something more in life and take a stand in the corrupt society he lives in (Bradbury 86). While Montag was one of the few characters in this book that yearned for thought, he was a person who would be unlikely drawn to thought being a fireman and all. This shows that anyone can decide that they want life to be meaningful and people crave thought and philosophy.

Bibliography:

Bradbury, Ray. Farenheit 451. New York: Ballantine, 1953. Print

What does the author reveal about his values in Fahrenheit 451? What perspective is this novel written in?

When reading a novel it is simple to tell what values the author treasures because it can usually be found within the book. After reading Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, the reader can tell that books and their philosophies have great significance to the author. The reader is able to distinguish this through many of the events and the actions of the characters in the story. For example, Bradbury creates a world full of fault and it seems that most of this dystopian world's shortcomings is that no one can no longer read books and they are never given any time to ponder. Everyone in Bradbury's world seems to speed through life, never stopping to notice or appreciate anything. Readers of this book can tell that the author values just slowing life down so you can appreciate things, because of his character Clarisse McClellan who is glorified in the novel. In this book, Guy Montag, the main character and a firefighter meets Clarisse on his way home from work, and she begins to ask him things that stir his mind (Bradbury 10). She talks about how she and her family just sit down and talk to one another (Bradbury 9). Montag cannot even fathom just sitting around talking just to talk. One of the things she asks if whether he is happy or not (Bradbury 10). This single question ends up changing Montag's life, and the way he looks at things. He begins to imagine world in which he was allowed to think and read, and he wants to take action ( Bradbury 85). Montag enlists the help of an old English professor and begins to plot how to fight the system, even when he risks losing his job and everything he has. Through Montag's want to fight, shows that the author believes that reading and thinking are something worth fighting for.

Fahrenheit 451 is written in the perspective of third person omniscient. This means that the author knows all what the main character does and how he feels about something.

Bibliography:

Bradbury, Ray. Farenheit 451. New York: Ballantine, 1953. Print