Fahrenheit 451: Montag is a Dynamic Character

I have recently finished the novel Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. This book was written around World War II and the setting is in the future. In this book the main character, Montag is a fire man. However, the firemen in the book burn houses and books rather than putting out fires. Books are banned in society and you can get in serious trouble for possessing one. This involves Montag's job, he has to burn the books and the building the books were found in. People in this society don't notice much and don't have a lot of in depth conversations. Everyone seems happy and there seems to be no depressing topics discussed. Montag never took a lot of thought into why books were burnt until he meets an interesting young lady.

In the beginning of the book Montag meets a girl named Clairese. She is very different compared to everyone else; she asks questions and observes what's around her. During their encounter Montag thinks Claiese is very strange when she asks him questions and shares the information she knows. He often tends to laugh about her questions or he answers the questions immediately. Claiese notices this and tells Montag, "You laugh when I haven't been funny and you answer right off. You never stop to think what I've asked you." This shows us how at first Montag just goes with the flow and dosent realize much about society. However, the questions Clairese asks him will change his perspective on society.

Eventually in the book, Montag begins to realize how horrible his society truly is. He wonders why books are banned and why there are always happy endings. He even begins to hate work because of the burning their required to do. On page 49 Montag tells Mildred, "We burnt an old women with her books." He repeats this again as well. I think this shows how Montag starts to realize how messed up society is and he begins to have feelings. He probably never thought of the people and books and why the burnings were occurring. This transformation makes him a dynamic character based on how Montag used to just go with what his civilization said to beginning to question his life and what's around it.

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