Fahrenheit 451 Character List

The book begins with the main character, Guy Montag, burning a building full of books. Montag is a fireman and his job is to burn books, which are outlawed. He likes his job incredibly well until he meets a teenager named Clarisse. She is from an odd family who remember the way that things were before censorship took its toll. Montag likes Clarisse, talks to her for a while and then goes on home. Montag finds his wife, Mildred, poisoned by too many sleeping pills and calls emergency. Two men come in, pump her stomach and replace her poisoned blood with clean. When Mildred wakes up, she remembers nothing of the night before and resumes her constant vigil at the "walls", giant televisions in the parlor, watching their characters, or the "family". The next morning on the way to the fire station, Montag talks some more to Clarisse. He gets to work, has a confrontation with the Hound. Every day for the next week, Montag talks to Clarisse and gets to know and like her very well. Also, the Hound continues to give him trouble when he comes in for work. Then, suddenly, Clarisse is gone. Montag goes to work, upset by the break in his routine, and answers a call. He and the other firemen burn an old woman’s house and have to fight to get her off the premises. Ultimately, she burns herself. Montag steals a book from the house. He is upset that anyone would rather die than give up their books. He starts to realize the things that are wrong with society. For example, Mildred can’t remember when they first met. The next morning, Montag calls in sick and stays in bed. Chief Beatty stops by to see what’s wrong and Montag tells him about the book and how he had to know about them. Beatty explains that this happens to every fireman and told him how the censorship started. He explained that at first, material that was considered by individual groups as discriminatory was removed from books, magazines, and other written texts. Eventually, there were virtually no books left and the books printed didn’t sell anyway, so the public demanded that they be removed altogether. The only written materials that survived were how-to books, professional manuals, pornography, and some periodicals. Peoples attention spans shortened and everyone turned to the "family" for entertainment. Education changed to stress sports instead of knowledge to build up teamwork and entertainment in society. He told Montag to do whatever he wanted for twenty-four hours and then burn his stolen book. Otherwise, the firemen would burn it for him, along with everything else he owned. Montag tells his wife about his having the book and about what Beatty said. She’s upset, but apparently decides to live with it, though unhappily, for the time being. They both get a scare when someone comes to the door. They don’t answer, but begin to study the book that Montag stole, along with several others he had taken from time to time.

They read all afternoon and Montag understood much more of the books than did his wife. Montag begins to understand about the importance of books while Mildred grows more ignorant. Montag contacts a man named Faber who he had met once. Faber had been a professor before the censorship. Montag that he is holding what could be the last Bible in his part of the world. He goes to Faber for help. The professor explains that the loss is not the books, but what was in the books. he says that quality knowledge like that could be displayed in the TV walls or on the radio, but their not. They decide to frame the other firemen by planting books in their houses. Before Montag leaves to go to work, Faber gives him a small ear radio through which they can communicate. Montag goes home and gives away his secret book stash to his wife’s guests. Montag goes to work and listens to Beatty speak against books. They then go to answer a call.

The call was placed by Mildred against their own house. Montag burns his own house to the ground with a flame-thrower and then, as he is about to be arrested, burns Beatty to death. He destroys the Hound and begins to run. He goes to Faber for some clothes and last words and then runs from a new Hound that has been brought in. He escapes to the river and gets out of the city. He then meets up with the bums who live outside the city. Granger, one of the bums, explains to Montag how all of them know one or two books and there are hundreds of them throughout the nation. Then, the city is nuked. The shock wave sweeps over the group and then there is nothing. The city is leveled. They all then proceed into the ruins of the city to help any survivors.

The afterword comments on the writing of the book and the play versions of Fahrenheit 451. The coda gives Bradbury’s opinions on censorship and his ultimatum to anyone who would do such a thing.