Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 tells of a dystopian society and of the journey of
one man to understand the world in which he lives. The tale begins with Guy
Montag as a willing participant in the government’s oppressive attempt to
surveil its citizens and to control their thoughts and ideas. The story tells
of many challenges and ends with Montag in a better society. This essay will
explore how Fahrenheit 451 follows
the three stages of the monomyth pattern of departure (or separation) from the
mundane world, initiation (or challenge), and
return (or restoration) to the ordinary world.
Montag follows a family tradition by
becoming a fireman just as his father and grandfather were before him. His job
is to burn books as well as the homes in which they are found. He sees nothing
wrong with his profession until he meets a young woman named Clarisse. She asks
lots of intriguing questions, such as why he became a fireman, if he ever reads
the books, and if he is happy. Clarisse’s questions are Montag’s call to
adventure, although he takes a while to accept it. He examines his life and
realizes that he is not happy. This is his mental state when the firemen find books
in a woman’s attic and start throwing them down the steps. The books fall all
around Montag, and one “fell into his arms” (Bradbury, 34). Montag’s trembling
hand seems to work without any directions from his brain as it “plunged the
book back under his arm, pressed it tight to sweating armpit” (Bradbury, 35).
Even though Montag has stolen other books, this act takes him across the
threshold into the unknown world.
Beatty, the fire captain, takes
notice of the change in Montag and unexpectedly visits him at home. Beatty
shares the history of the firemen in an effort to bring Montag back in line,
but his warning goes unheeded. Montag continues his quest to learn “if what the
Captain says is true” and “why we’re in such a mess” (Bradbury, 63). Montag
visits Professor Faber in an effort to find some answers, but the professor
first wants to know what brought Montag to this point. Montag explains that
people around him are dying, he is searching for happiness, and he thinks that he
might find contentment in books. Faber becomes his mentor and explains, “It’s
not books you need, it’s some of the things that once were in books” (Bradbury,
78). Since books are only paper with printed words, the information contained
in books is what gives quality to life. Faber’s counsel is helpful, but
Montag’s mission has reached crisis level. He is unaware that his wife has
reported him to the firemen until the fire truck stops in front of his own home
and his wife hurries out the door with a suitcase. He is forced to burn his own home, but then
he turns the fire nozzle on Captain Beatty. Realizing that he is now in danger,
Montag borrows some old clothes from Faber and flees for his life. He jumps
into the nearby river just in time to escape the mechanical hound that is hot
on his trail, and he begins his return to the ordinary world.
Montag floats down the river until
he is far from the city. As he drifts he realizes that he is “moving from an
unreality that was frightening into a reality that was unreal because it was
new” (Bradbury, 133). Montag has escaped from the unknown world, and he is returning
to the everyday world. His restoration is complete when he meets a group of
exiled intellectuals who welcome him into their midst. He learns that they are
confident in their ability to create a better society because they have
memorized numerous books.
This essay shows that Fahrenheit 451 follows the classic
monomyth pattern. Montag leaves his mundane world when he realizes that books
have value. He faces many challenges as he moves through his surreal world, but
he is restored to the ordinary world when he joins the group of heroic
intellectuals. Montag’s story is a typical hero’s journey to save his world.
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