Guy Montag

Throughout the novel Fahrenheit 451, Guy Montag goes from a relatively "typical" fireman to a man on the run. In the story, Guy meets his seventeen year old neighbor Clarisse McClellan, she questions Montag about his life now and the life he has always lived. Near the start of the book Clarisse asks Montag, "Are you happy?" Clarisse's question influenced Montag in many ways, causing him to wonder about his life. After speaking with Clarisse, Montag starts thinking about his wife, Mildred, and whether they really love each other or not. He leaves her to go home and find out for sure. Once he is inside he asks Mildred if she remembers where they met for the first time. Neither Mildred nor Montag remembers where they met at for the first time. He starts to realize that he is unhappy in his relationship with his wife, Millie, who is unwilling to deal with reality and instead chooses to immerse herself in an obsession to tranquilizers the virtual world provided by her television and radio.

The fact that Montag actually thinks about Clarisse's question later on and starts admitting to himself that he is not happy is a big step for Montag. In fact it shows how he is no longer living as "one" with society which focuses a lot about "happiness". Therefore, Clarisse is the first person to encourage Montag on his way to self-awareness. Montag did not read books in the beginning of the story, but further in the book he starts to read the books instead of burning them. He still burns the houses and most of the books, but he also takes a few of them before burning the houses. In doing so, this changes his personality and his way of thinking about the society. One night when Montag starts reading a book he stole from a house that he had later ...

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...e he did something while feeling something else. Montag actually said to his self "I went around doing one thing and feeling another.“ Montag was astonished by his anatomize of himself and what he did in his life and is confused about how it all happened. Montag says "It was only the other night everything was fine and the next thing I know I'm drowning.“ He actually says to himself how fast he changed - from one day to another. Wondering about his work, Mildred, marriage and the society he lives in. Montag has now changed from being a "happy" man, to an aware, thinking, and analyzing human being totally different from the society his lives in. Although Montag have had his fights throughout the book, it appears to me, that the right place for Montag to be was the forest, where he ended after running, as Faber told him to do so. when the Mechanical Hound was after him.