Fahrenheit 451 Hero's Journey

Imagine living in a place where books are illegal and everyone is expected to follow unreasonable rules while acting the same way. That is where Montag lives in the book Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury. The dystopian novel follows Guy Montag, the protagonist, as he goes through the phases of a hero's journey, starting as a normal citizen and ending as a rebel, enlightened with knowledge and hope of rebuilding the city. Montag starts in the ordinary world as a conformist fireman who burns books and homes with no remorse. The start of Montag's character arc describes him in a scene where he burns books. It says, “Montag grinned the fierce grin of all men, singed and driven back by flame. It never went away, that smile, it never ever went away, as long as he …show more content…
He even finds pleasure in burning, and has for as long “as he can remember.” However, Montag then has a moment of realization. He starts to change his perspective when he has to burn down a house full of books and a woman, making his way through the next stage of the hero's journey. He had just burned a woman and her books because she refused to leave her home. While in the woman's house, Montag stole and hid a book, which was one of the first big moments of rebellion. He came back home to talk to Mildred, his wife, feeling guilty about what had happened. Montag is talking to Mildred and tells her, "There must be something in books, things we can't imagine, to make a woman stay in a burning house.; You don't stay for nothing" (Bradbury 48). This was a prominent moment when Montag started to doubt society and his job. He started to question the importance of books and why the woman chose to die with them, even if she had a chance to live. By the end of the book, Montag completes the hero's journey and has completely rebelled, learning to use his gift of knowledge to help society in the future.