Personal Conflict In Fahrenheit 451 Essay Example

Throughout literature, characters have endured a plethora of conflicts, most of which shape the lessons and outcomes of each respective work,  In Fahrenheit 451, we see the main character Montag go through a personal conflict that changes his perspective on life while also teaching the reader a valuable life lesson. Montag undergoes a change because of this this conflict, as he starts off as a man who doesn't think for himself, a man following the orders of a higher power for reasons that aren’t fleshed out to any degree, but turns into a man that thinks for himself, learning the truths of the oppressive society he lives in.

In the opening scene of the book, “While the books [go] up in sparkling whirls… Montag [grins]” (Bradbury 2). From this, we can deduce that Montag receives pleasure from his occupation of burning books, indicating that Montag doesn’t understand the importance of literature and its many benefits to society. Books were a foreign object to Montag, and he was just a person following orders, burning books for reasons he himself isn’t even aware of. As Montag’s personal conflict ensues, however, Montag comes to the conclusion that “there must be something in books, something [he] can’t understand… it [takes] some [men] a lifetime maybe to put some of [their] thoughts down, and then [he] comes along in two minutes and BOOM! it's all over” (Bradbury 48). Montag, while not completely being sold on books, has gone through a complete change. He has started to treat books not as objects, but as entities that encapsulate an entire person’s imagination. Montag is beginning to understand what books contain that captivates people enough to break the law for, something of which his society is being stripped from. This shows the beginning of Montag’s self realization, showing him dip his toes into thinking for himself. 

The conflict of Montag’s self realization is not only limited to books, however. Montag also goes through a much deeper, mental change as a result of his newfound thinking. Early on in the book, Montag is confronted with a simple, but deep question: he is asked if he is happy. Montag doesn’t think much of the question, “of course [he’s] happy” (Bradbury 8). Montag doesn’t put too much thought towards the question, seeing it as more of a yes or no, failing to even understand the meaning of it. This portrays Montag as the average man in this society who doesn’t even look one step further. It shows what Montag’s society has come to, due to the purposeful absence or any brain stimulation or creative processes. Montag’s answer changes in a moment, though, as he puts more thought into the question. Pondering over the question, “he [feels] his smile slide away… [realizing] he was not happy” (Bradbury 9). Montag realizes that there are problems he sees in his everyday life, things he had never noticed before. He had never before taken a second glance at the way things work in his seemingly normal world, but when he does, it provides a stark change to what was already going on. This is an example of yet another way that Montag changes, all a product of freeing his thoughts from his oppressive society. 

Montag’s internal conflict results in him turning his back on everything he has known, puts him at odds with his job and turns him into a deep thinker, from a typical follower. The conflicts that Montag finds himself in and the lessons he learns pertain not only to him, but also to the reader, who learns that the rules set in place by society and by authority are not always correct. The book highlights the story of a run of the mill man, who finds himself in an instructive storyline as he starts thinking deeply about the events in his life. It shows the reader that once you deviate from the crowd, things start appearing a lot more clear and the results can be beneficial, especially as you learn to find your personal values.