Fahrenheit 451 Characters
Guy Montag
He is the protagonist of the novel and an individual who is proud of his role at the fire department. He enjoys the moments he is dressed in his uniform as he leads his colleagues searching for houses that harbor illegal books. He also likes the smell of kerosene that helps to raise the fire temperatures to 451 degrees Fahrenheit, which is a requirement for the books to ignite. However, later on, a feeling of being discontent grows in him. At that point, he is described as a fireman that has turned sour and cannot find the root of his disaffection and emptiness. Daily, he returns to a meaningless and loveless marriage shown through his cold bedroom, furnished with two beds. Montag is drawn to the conversation of the family that lives next door, and he even opts to remain home and watch the McClellan family through the windows
Montag’s friendship with Clarisse makes him perceive the harshness that is present in society, which is in contrast to nature’s joy that he rarely partakes. Later on, Clarisse mocks him about never being in love, which makes him experience an epiphany that leads to despair. This feeling characterizes a large portion of the novel. After witnessing an older woman getting burned to death willingly because of her books, Montag starts hating his job.
Captain Beatty
Captain Beatty is portrayed as the ruthless, shrewd antagonist of the novel. He is heavily linked to the fire incidents that, in the end, kill him. In the story, he is the character that is highly educated and most well-read. However, he devotes his life to burning books and maintaining the ignorance levels of society. Unlike other characters, he embraces his guilt and chooses to utilize his knowledge. He is motivated by a desire to get back to an ignorant state. He was initially a rebel who learned and read in defiance to the expectations of the society.
Nevertheless, knowledge brought him doubt and fear. He sort answers, which would help him, make the right decisions, but instead, he only found questions that led to more questions. Beatty began experiencing helplessness and despair and concluded that he had made a wrong decision in seeking knowledge.
As a Fireman, he expresses the passion of a converted person in his job. He despises books and education because they let him down. Beatty makes a choice to embrace his career because it is understandable and straightforward. He uses his knowledge to promote ignorance in society. It makes him a harmful antagonist because he is intelligent, unlike other ignorant and passive characters.
Clarisse McClellan
Clarisse is a seventeen-year-old teenager and the next-door neighbor to Guy Montag. She rejects ignorance with courage and honesty. She is full of youthful curiosity in regards to everything around her because she still has not been broken by society. She continually questions Guy that triggers his identity crisis. In contrast to those around her, she seeks knowledge for the sake of learning. Unlike Beatty, she does not pursue education to use it for destruction later. She also does not decide to get educated to treat an internal crisis or despair like Montag. She is merely interested in knowing things. Her type of ignorance is the beautiful, natural ignorance which represents the start of life.
Her character is a representation of hope that society might eventually get saved. Things in Bradburry are bound to get better as long as individuals like her exist. Her death occurs early in the story, but she creates a significant impact. Her memories help Montag organize his anger in a manner in a useful way.