"Monday burn Millay, Wednesday Whitman, Friday Faulkner, burn them to ashes. That's our official slogan" (Bradbury 12). This is what the fireman, Guy Montag's, life was about. Guy Montag and his fellow fireman pillage homes for books to burn to create a bookless society. Montag's philosophies are drastically changed by the pondering questions of a "crazy" seventeen year old, Clarissa. In Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451, Guy Montag is an excellent example of a hero displaying bravery, respect, and honesty. .
Guy Montag shows immense bravery when he took a risk for what he believes in, even though the consequences are great. Under the watchful eye of Beatty, fireman chief, Montag slips a book into his pocket while burning a house to alleviate the books. The irreconcilable differences between Montag and Beatty resulted in the demise of Beatty. "Montag shot one continuous pulse of liquid fire on him. Beatty flopped over and over and over, and at last twisted in on himself like a charred wax doll and lay silent"(Bradbury 121). Despite Montag's wounds from an automated killer dog "He felt it scrabble and seize his leg and stab the needle in for a moment before the fire snapped the hound up in the air."(Bradbury 122), his perseverance to meet the respected covert book people make him keep on moving.
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Not only is Guy Montag brave but he's respectful of others and their beliefs. The secluded book people are held in high regard by Montag due to their ability to memorize every word to certain books. "Would you like, someday, Montag, to read Plato's Republic?. I am Plato's Republic. Mr. Simmons is Marcus" (Bradbury 153). Montag seems enthusiastic to learn the philosophies of life through the authors of books. "I think I was blind trying to go at things my way, planting books in firemen's houses and sending in alarms" (Bradbury 154). Books teach Montag to think for himself as an individual rather then an authoritarian state.
