Fahrenheit 451: Analysis of Major Characters
"Fahrenheit 451: Analysis of Major Characters" delves into the key figures within Ray Bradbury's dystopian narrative, where society is characterized by the suppression of literature and independent thought. The protagonist, Guy Montag, is a fireman disillusioned with his role of burning books, leading him to seek knowledge and join forces with former professor Faber. Montag's wife, Mildred, represents the complacent citizenry, engrossed in superficial entertainment and ultimately unable to comprehend Montag's awakening. Clarisse McClellan, Montag's introspective neighbor, awakens Montag's dissatisfaction with societal norms, but her fate reflects the dangers of nonconformity. Captain Beatty, Montag's superior, embodies the oppressive regime, using his extensive knowledge of literature to manipulate and suppress dissent. Other characters, like Mrs. Phelps and Mrs. Bowles, illustrate the emptiness of a life devoid of genuine emotions and connections. Lastly, Granger leads a group of intellectuals preserving knowledge through memory, while the Mechanical Hounds symbolize the brutal enforcement of conformity. This analysis captures the complexities of these characters in a world that fears knowledge and individuality.
Fahrenheit 451: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: Ray Bradbury
First published: 1953 (expanded version of “The Fireman,” Galaxy Science Fiction, 1951)
Genre: Novel
Locale: North America
Plot: Science fiction
Time: The twenty-first century
Guy Montag,afiremaninanerawhenthatjobentailsburning books. Although he has enjoyed burning books for ten years, his enthusiasm wanes after he smuggles a book out of the home of an old lady whose house and book collection are burned. Convinced that books can prevent humankind from making the mistakes that lead to wars, he joins forces with Faber to arrange for the duplication of books and to eavesdrop on the firemen. After his house and books are burned, Montag kills Captain Beatty and follows the railroad tracks out of town. With the assistance of Faber, he eludes the Mechanical Hounds that pursue him and is taken in by a group of former college professors, all of whom have memorized books. Although Montag initially believes that he does not belong with these people, the destruction of the city jogs his memory, and he is able to recall part of the Book of Ecclesiastes and the Book of Revelation. Like the others, he plans to pass down what he has memorized to others.
Mildred Montag, Montag's wife. Instead of thinking, as Montag and Clarisse do, she escapes from her stifling existence by driving at excessive speed or by listening to the thimble radios in her ears and watching the wall-to-wall circuit television. Out of frustration, she swallows an entire bottle of sleeping pills and has to have her blood replaced. Because she cannot understand Montag's appreciation of literature, she turns him in to the firemen. Montag mourns her after she dies in the atomic explosion.
Clarisse McClellan, Montag's sixteen-year-old neighbor. Psychiatrists classify her as insane because she thinks more than the average citizen does. Montag realizes that he is unhappy after he meets her, and he continues to walk her to the corner on a daily basis because, unlike his wife, she gives him her full attention. She disappears, possibly the hit-and-run victim of joy-riding teenagers.
Captain Beatty, the Chief Burner and Montag's superior. Having dismissed Montag's disenchantment with book burning as a phase through which all firemen pass, Beatty provides him with a history of the events that led up to the censorship and burning of all books. Although he has memorized quotations from books he has read, Beatty uses them to refute Montag's defense of books. After forcing Montag to set fire to his own books and house, Beatty provokes Montag into incinerating him with a flamethrower.
Mrs. Phelps, a friend of Mildred. She is a childless, superficial woman who is happy because she lets her husband, who has just gone off to war, do all the worrying. Although she seems to be cold, she sobs uncontrollably while Montag reads “Dover Beach.”
Mrs. Bowles, a friend of Mildred. Selfish and shallow, she has had three unhappy marriages, twelve abortions, and two Caesarean sections. Incapable of showing or feeling love, she calls Montag's poetry “mush” and turns him in to the firemen.
Granger, the leader of a group of former college professors with photographic memories. The author of a book dealing with the relationship between the individual and society, he has inherited his grandfather's disdain for the status quo. He and his colleagues memorize books and then burn them to escape harassment from the firemen.
Faber, a college professor. He is a self-confessed coward who reluctantly helps Montag by communicating with him through a small two-way radio that he has placed in Montag's ear. Faber teaches Montag that it is not books that he needs but the meanings in books. After helping Montag escape the Mechanical Hounds, he feels alive for the first time in years.
The Mechanical Hounds, eight-legged robots. These insidious creatures are programmed by the firemen to track down and kill fugitives. Montag burns one and eludes another by altering the chemical index of his perspiration.