Summary:
Guy Montag's actions in Ray Bradbury's "Fahrenheit 451" are the result of influences from his friends and acquaintances.
Everyone in the world influences others in many various manners. The influence can be minor or extremely significant but yet they always have an impact. An example of this can be found in Fahrenheit 451, a novel written by Ray Bradbury. In this fictional epic, the main character, Guy Montag, is influenced by friends as well as mere acquaintances. Clarrise, a woman that simply stood up for what she believed in, and Beatty force Montag to re-examine his past, present, and future. In doing so, Montag virtually chooses a different 'path in life' than that of others in the fire-fighting profession.
Clarisse McClellan is the next-door neighbor of Montag who is silenced by the government for living independently and for attempting to discover the true meaning of life. She is is one of the key influences in Montag's decision to begin reading. Clarisse questions Montag and how he feels about his life, including the question, "Are you happy?." Being in a position where he had to answer, Montag discovers that he truly isn't happy. He began to then re-examine many different aspects of his life. It is also from Clarisse that Montag discovers what the job of being a fireman entailed. After learning how much it has changed (from stopping fires and saving people to burning books and houses, even if people are in them) Montag begins to loathe his career. It is from Clarisse that Montag learns about society's past and the irony of living in his present-day.
Montag was influenced by those he was acquaintances with. Montag reported to a call regarding literature, Montag was reminded of how society feels about books. This is the first time that Montag also sees that how friends, no matter how close they are to you, can not always be trusted. Mrs. Blake was the elderly lady's neighbor who was responsible for reporting him. Because of this, Montag trusts only Faber in his illegal activity. Faber is a retired professor who aids Montag in escaping from the city. The elderly lady proves to Montag that books are extremely valuable to those who recognize what they are worth. This plants the idea in Montag that maybe there is more to the story than he though. The elderly lady preceded to take a kitchen match and light the kersine that had been doused everywhere by the firemen. She was willing to sacrifice her life for her books which proved to Montag that there was more to life than just what he had been told. After this, Montag began to steal books on a regular basis and read them leisurely.
Montag's firecaption, Beatty, (alhough he is well read in literature) chooses to burn books because he feels betrayed by them. Beatty is the apparent mastermind behind government censorship. He is a man who consciously chooses to do evil. Beatty influences Montag differently than Clarrise because he reveals the truth yet resents the knowledge that it comes with.. After learning from a person he had previously trusted, Montag began to believe that other secrets were still being held against him and everyone else. Even after this though, Montag continued to steal the illegal books and read them. He was persuring the materials in hopes of finding if public opinion held true. Beatty managed to get into Montag's head by making him extremely frustrated with everything in aspects such as books, society, and life in general. Beatty did this by antagonizing him and subtly pressuring him to read. By doing this, Montag allowed the pressure to build leading to his downfall in which his torches his own house. Following the torching of his house, he precedes to torch Beatty with the flamethrower.
In conclusion, Montag was influenced by many factors and people. As a result, he acted differently in every situation that presented itself. The elderly women affected Montag so that was became more observant of his surroundings. Clarisse had a positive impact on him while Beatty had a negative impact on him. Influence played a major role in Fahrenheit 451. Many things play into this and always are components of influencing someone which can result in significant changes.
This is the complete article, containing 690 words
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