Guy Montag is a good guy.
At least, he tries to be.
But he's as complicated of a hero as you'll
ever meet.
More on that in a moment.
Most of the characters in Fahrenheit 451 are
black and white.
Good guys and bad guys.
And how fitting.
No one in Bradbury's society does much thinking,
and understanding the characters in this story
doesn't take much thinking, either.
Except for Guy Montag, the main character.
He's all about shades of grey.
By the time Fahrenheit 451 starts, Montag
has already started his transformation.
He's been squirreling away books.
He's started questioning a society that doesn't
support free thought.
But that doesn't mean that Montag makes all
the right choices.
He still has trouble thinking for himself—and
is easily influenced both by the bad guys
(like Beatty) and the good guys (like Faber).
Sometimes he doesn't even know why he does
things.
How many times during the story does he remark
that he feels like his hands are acting for
themselves?
But in spite of these flaws, Montag is actually
the perfect hero for this story.
After all, what better way to encourage critical
thought than with a hero who requires just
that.
