Guy Montag - Admission/Application Essay Example

This paper seeks to provide a brief highlight into the character of Guy Montag by considering his appearance and attitude in the opening of the novel in comparison to the end of the book. The themes of this book center around government’s censorship of all literary works by instituting a purge that seeks to expunge all written material from the face of the country. This is done by ‘firemen’ whose job is to light fires that burn books instead of putting them out as is generally expected.

In this endeavor, the author uses Guy Montag as the protagonist of the story where the reader is shown to be appreciative of his role and job at the beginning of the novel (Bradbury 42). Montag’s demeanor changes when he meets Clarisse McClellan who is a young girl of 17 years who harbors different ideologies and perspectives that intrigue Montag (Bradbury 84). Montag is portrayed as looking forward to his meetings with Clarisse on his way from work, which is illustrated as the turning point of everything he believes in including the purpose ad impact of his job.

Their budding relationship is illustrated by Clarisse’s observation that “You're not like the others. I've seen a few; I know. When I talk, you look at me. When I said something about the moon, you looked at the moon, last night. The others would never do that. The others would walk off and leave me talking. Or threaten me. No one has time any more for anyone else. You're one of the few who put up with me. That's why I think it's so strange you're a fireman, it just doesn't seem right for you, somehow” (Bradbury 23 -24).

In the beginning, the reader gets the notion that the relationship between Montag and his wife Mildred is a cordial one, but as the story progresses, this notion is negated. This is in the sense that Montag’s thoughts and opinions about his wife are progressively revealed, and it seems as if he appreciates the effect of the sleeping pills addiction that keeps her subdued. It should be noted that she does not present a problem to Montag, but her detached nature with regard to what is happening around them does not seem to give Guy Montag any relief (Bradbury 73).

Guy Montag’s wife Mildred is an immediate representation of the country’s population that according to Faber’s opinion, gave up their reading culture thus, encouraging the government’s initiative to ban books and all literary content. Guy Montag starts questioning the censorship campaign that he has been aiding and he starts collecting books, which he hides in his house. This part of the book illustrates the significant influence and impact of Montag’s interaction with Clarisse McClellan.

Montag had a high appreciation for technology and the positive changes it had brought into people’s lives. This is shown to change when he critically reflects upon the significance of the ‘parlor walls’ and what it meant in relation to books. In light of this, Montag lamented, “Nobody listens anymore. I can't talk to the walls because they're yelling at me, I can't talk to my wife; she listens to the walls” (Bradbury 88). The hound or the robotic dog also becomes a major cause for concern because it starts sniffing around Montag’s house indicating that technology contributes to his being discovered as a book lover (Bradbury 108).