Fahrenheit 451

     In the book Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury, the main character, Guy
Montag meets a girl, Clarisse McClellan, who will tell him something that will
change his life forever. Guy is a fireman, who ignites fires instead of
putting them out. He burns house where books have been found. The reason
that these houses along with the books are burned is because the
government of this society does not want its people to read books. He then
talks to a girl named Clarisse, who tells him of a past where people were not
punished for
reading books, but instead encouraged to do so. Ray Bradbury chose the
title, Fahrenheit 451 for this novel because he says, that is the temperature
at which books burn. The original title, The Fire Man, was chosen to identify
Guy Montag, because he was a “fireman."
     Guy learns to be more open-minded through out the sourse of this
novel. When he first meets Clarisse she says, “ Strange I heard once that a
long time ago, houses used to burn by accident and they needed firemen to
stop the flames.” At first, Guy does not believe her, but later on after she
dies/disappears, he then realizes that it is true.     
     Guy also learns that even though he did something against the law, it
was still the right thing to do. When Mildred turns him in, he kills the
firechief and runs from the police. “ Beatty flopped over and over and over,
and at last twisted in on himself like a charred wax doll and lay silent.” All of
this began just because he read books! Now he meets others who have also
read books and now must run from the police.      

     

     The reader learns that the government may not be correct all the
time and that people must voice their opinion. Even if it may bring bad
fortune onto you. If it helps many other people, then it is worth it to take
that sacrifice.