Fahrenheit 451

Fahrenheit 451 tells the story of Guy Montag and his transformation from a book-burning fireman to a book-reading rebel. Montag lives in an oppressive society that attempts to eliminate all sources of complexity, contradiction, and confusion to ensure uncomplicated happiness for all its citizens. As Montag comes to realize over the course of the novel, however, his fellow citizens are not happy so much as spiritually hollow. People in this world are constantly bombarded with advertisements and shallow entertainments, leaving them no space to think for themselves or assess their own emotional states. The result is a society that grows increasingly selfish, pleasure-seeking, disconnected, and empty. Montag begins to grow conscious of the problems his society faces soon after his initial encounter with the free-spirited Clarisse McClellan. At first, the young woman confuses him. For all of her puzzling, unorthodox behavior, Montag remains intrigued, and after they part ways he fixates on Clarisse’s final question: “Are you happy?” In the moment he has no idea how to answer, but the question strikes a chord. Upon arriving home, his first response is denial: “Of course I’m happy. What does she think? I’m not?” Yet a realization dawns on him: “He was not happy…He wore his happiness like a mask and the girl had run off across the lawn with the mask and there was no way of going to knock on her door and ask for it back.”