Fahrenheit 451 Reaction

Fahrenheit 451 Reaction

How does a hero react when he/she recognizes a problem in society?

There are distinct actions that separate a hero from just a regular bystander. Heroes tend to seek out the cause of the problem and look for a way to actually fix it, rather than just watching from the sidelines. Distinct actions are taken in order for the benefit of society, not just personal gain. In Fahrenheit 451, the main character Montag seemed like he should have been everyone’s hero, but when examining his characteristics more closely, he was anything but a hero. He recognized the importance of books, but kept them hidden to himself, not fighting  back against the authorities. He was so consumed in his life where everyone had always told him exactly what to do that he couldn’t think for himself when the time came. After Montag’s books were discovered he went on the run and when encountering the reality of the world around him “he touched it, just to be sure it was real” (p 133). If Montag were really a hero, he would already know the difference between true reality and the altered reality around him.

Towards the end of the book, Montag starts making progress towards the side of the hero, however when reaching the group of other men in the forest, he stays comfortable in his role as a follower. The only reason Montag got out of the false reality in the first place was because of characters like Clarisse. When encountering Clarisse, Montag is pushed to see the world through his own eyes. She knows that something needs to be changed and as they form a short relationship, some of those beliefs start rubbing off on him. She pushes those around her to see the truth, to make a change for what they think is right, but in the end it gets her killed. The society she lives in acknowledges that she has the characteristics of a hero and know she could be a threat if she influences too many people, therefore she is terminated.

 

Why would a person choose to ignore a problem in society? What  is the difference between a person who acts and a person who ignores?

In the beginning of this unit we talked about willful blindness and I truly believe that concept in and of itself allows a person to ignore a problem in society. People may think that their small voice may not have an impact on what seems like the monstrosity of the problem in front of them, so there is no point for them to even help at all. This couldn’t be farther from the truth. It only takes one person to raise awareness on a problem in order to make a difference. Once the information is out in the open, others acknowledge the problem and eventually a change can be made. This is the difference between a person who acts and a person who ignores. The people who act know that society has a problem and look beyond themselves to fix it. A person who ignores sometimes just lacks the confidence that they truly can make a difference to what is harming the society and this causes them to sit on the sidelines and become part of the problem themselves. For example, Montag states that he” saw the way things were going, a long time back. [He] said nothing. [He is] one of the innocents who could have spoken up and out when no one would listen to the ‘guilty,’ but [he] did not speak and thus became guilty [himself]” (p 78). If no one stands up to make a difference, to be a hero, then no change will be made and the problem will continually progress until it truly is impossible to fix.

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