Thoughts on Mr. Montag and the Salamanders

Fahrenheit 451 is probably one of my favorite novels. As previously stated, I like sci-fi, therefore I already like the setting, however, it is more than just the genre that attracts me to the novel. I like Fahrenheit because I like the story, the characters, and the irony it has to society today.

The story: Fahrenheit is the tale of one man breaking established convention to find a freedom that had been missing from his life. I like stories like this. I try to be an individual because I never want to become the "norm." I never want to become a predictable character; therefore I like characters that aren't predictable. Montag's journey is one of human error, but it is also one of human redemption. Montag is the enemy in the beginning of the novel; by the end he becomes one of the few who understand. This transition is dramatic and dynamic; one of the reasons Fahrenheit is the novel it is. The irony of burning books to protect the well being of the populous is a fantastic idea for a story to begin with.

Burning books to create a better tomorrow. That could have been a slogan for the firemen. In essence, the firemen of the novel were trying to destroy the one thing that causes human to think freely. Books make us analyze them and use our minds. Therefore, the firemen burning the books were also burning the mind. The idea of the Utopian society Montag lives in is based around the principle of removing every person with the right to think freely. That is what children are being snatched from their mothers practically at birth, and it is the same reason why Millie wants another wall-sized television. When robbed of something for so long one forgets the feeling. This stealing of personal freedoms was creating an illusion of happiness. Millie thought she was happy but that is because she was told she was happy, and she had forgotten how to think and rationalize what she was being told. Montag's meeting of Clarisse was all the evidence needed to prove that a Utopia cannot exist. The human mind cannot be shut down, just filled with useless information. Therefore someone will always be able to think.

The characters: Montag and Beatty, a face-off between good and evil? When solely reading the story one may draw that conclusion...
Alright, here's Montag who knows that burning books is bad because books are actually good; and this Beatty fella is trying to stop him so, Montag's the good guy, and Beatty, well he deserved to get burned... right?...
Not exactly; Beatty was certainly a strange character in the least but he was also a complex one. We as readers don't know whether or not Beatty really loved books, and hated the fact that he couldn't share them with anyone; or if Beatty loved the idea of burning books because they could not provide him with the solution to live itself. Beatty is such an interesting character to watch progress throughout the novel, and I love the scene where he just starts quoting novels endlessly. Is this a man who really hates literature? Probably not but were never able to get a straight answer from him, and that's what makes it all the more exciting.

Irony: I see what's happening in Fahrenheit happening in society today. Now we're all in an AP Lit class so we obviously find some enjoyment from reading, but honestly, outside AP Lit, do you know how hard it is to find someone who likes to read in their spare time? Kids spark note because it's easier than reading and they don't have to work as hard. This notion of getting more for less is consuming our culture. I see it with my brother all the time. I see how he has been sucked into the world of mass media, and how a sweet TV show outweighs a boring book any day. When Bradbury wrote the novel, his ideas may have sounded crazy. But our society is closer to the novel than many would have thought possible. If we continue on this path, who's to say in the next 50 years we won't be burning books as well.