Attitudes- Fahrenheit 451

Bradbury, in this novel, compares a little bit of himself to Guy Montag. Bradbury is a very intellectual guy who enjoys reading and writing, and in this book Guy is a man who also enjoys reading books and does not like how people watch television all the time. I think that the authors values are that he is displeased about how a lot of people are mesmerized watching television compared to learning and reading books. He believes that if people would read more books than watching television that the world would be that much smarter than they are now.

His attitudes that were shown throughout the book was basically the same thing as his values. He would like people to be more intellectual than to just sit and watch television for most of the day. Also his attitude is that people are waiting for other people to tell them what to do rather than just deciding what they have to say. He shows that he is not happy at how many people are just sitting and watching television. If people would do that the world would be a lot better off if people would stop watching so much television. Bradbury does a great job to get that point across by putting that situation in this book.

When Bradbury wrote, "Happy! Of all nonsense" (Bradbury 10). The quote shows after Clarisse and Guy talked she asked him if he was happy. That is what Bradbury is asking people through this book if they are happy with watching television everyday and not going outside, looking at nature and reading books. They still can watch televsion, but instead of wasting your day watching it take some time and go outside to enjoy life. Bradbury writes in third person throughout the book. Which also helps the reader realize what his values and attitudes are. Bradbury had shown the readers what his values and attitudes were by putting them in this novel.

Bibliography

Bradbury, Ray. Fahrenheit 451. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2003. Print.

Professor Faber- Fahrenheit 451

Professor Faber became a very well-known character to readers in this novel. Professor Faber was a retired English teacher who came across Montag a year before the book opened. When Guy wanted to know more about the books and why people did not read them any more he turned to Professor Faber. When Montag called Professor Faber, knowing that Montag was a firefighter, Faber was scared that Montag was trying to trick him into telling him where the books were. Once Faber knew that Montag really did want to know more about books he decided to help him. Professor Faber admits in the story that the current state of society was due to the cowardliness of people just like himself, because they would not speak out against the book burning when they could of stopped it from happening. He still hates himself for letting that go, but he decides to help Montag and put himself in a position that could potentially kill him.

When Faber says, "We are living in a time when flowers are trying to live on flowers, instead of growing on good rain and black loam" (Bradbury 83). This saying is very important that basically explains the whole book. It is saying that the people that are in that city are trying to live off of each other rather than trying something new. That is what this book is basically about people like Faber were afraid to stand up to the government and say no to burning books, but instead just stayed behind and look what happened. That saying really does have a lot of meaning to this book. Faber really proved himself to be the only person that Guy Montag could really trust. If Guy turned to Mildred she would just rat him out. If he went to Faber, Faber would help him the most. Faber knew a lot about the books and why people were unable to read them. Professor turned out to be a really good friend of Guys.

Bibliography

Bradbury, Ray. Fahrenheit 451. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2003. Print.

Mildred Montag- Fahrenheit 451

Mildred Montag showed that she was small-minded and childish throughout the novel. While Guy is out burning houses or trying to figure out why people are not reading books, Mildred is at home watching television with either herself or her other small-minded friends. Throughout this story Mildred refuses to engage in regular conversations with Guy, who is her husband, and her feelings on their marriage. Which shows that she really does not need to be with Guy especially if she is going to just watch T.V all day. Instead, she would rather talk about the "family" on television. Mildred had shown throughout the story that she was not a good, and loyal wife. Once Guy had all the books he needed she burned them because she would rather go with the government than to be with her husband.

When Bradbury said, "Why, it was at--? She stopped. I don't know, she said" (Bradbury 42). Guy had asked her a simple question as to when they first met and she stopped and thought about it and she could not remember as to when they first met. Guy was very sad to hear this because he knew that she was not very loyal to him at all. Mildred had also struggled with suicide earlier in the book. She took a lot sleeping pills and Guy came home and luckily pumped out her stomach. Even after Guy saved her life, he asked her if she can help him with reading the books in order to figure out why they can not read books. She agreed, but in the end she ratted him out and called the firefighters to come and burn them. After all that, she ran out of the house and left Guy with all the firefighters and Guy got under arrest. This shows that Mildred does not deserve to be Guy's wife and I am glad that she left Guy so that he can be able to live on his own. Mildred had shown throughout the novel that she was childish and did not deserve Guy's trust.

Bibliography

Bradbury, Ray. Fahrenheit 451. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2003. Print.

Guy Montag- Fahrenheit 451

It is easily said that Guy Montag is the protagonist in this novel. In this story Guy, at the beginning, thought his life was the best. He had a wife and a great job to go along with that. He was a firefighter, who instead of putting out the fires, they would actually start them. The government instead of liking books and nature, decided they hated nature and books so they would burn every book they could find. Guy was a part of burning these precious books. One day when Guy was on his way to work he saw this beautiful seventeen year old and started to talk to her. He soon realized that she was not like every other person that he ever met. She was different in a way that he thought it was interesting. She would talk about how books were good things, and Guy never thought books as a good thing and then he thought that that could be very well true.

When Bradbury puts in, "They still walked farther and the girl said, Is it true that long ago firemen put fires out instead of going to start them" (Bradbury 8). This shows how this girl was very unorthodox during this time. She seemed crazy to everybody else because of the things she said, like liking books, and accepting nature and other things that were banned from doing. Guy Montag liked the ideas that this girl thought of which showed he had a lot of respect especially for being a firemen which was probably one of the worst jobs to have during this period of time. Once he stops talking to Clarisse, he started to like books a lot and wanted to know the real reason as to why they were not able to read books. He started to hide books from everybody which was not good and it got him in big trouble. Throughout this novel, Bradbury portrays Guy as a man who wants to change his life, he wants to renew it. Guy Montag was basically portrayed as the hero in this book.

Bibliography

Bradbury, Ray. Fahrenheit 451. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2003. Print.

Rose of Sharon- The Grapes of Wrath

Rose of Sharon had a very important role in the Joad family. That important role she had was that she gave the Joads hope. Rose of Sharon was pregnant when she was heading to California. She was the oldest of Ma and Pa's daughters and she was Connie's wife. Connie and Rose of Sharon have high hopes in the future when they were heading into California. Little did they know that the life in California was not as what they saw it as. They were thinking they were going to have their child and going to start a family in California. In the middle of the book Rose of Sharon's husband, Connie, abandons her and leaves her with the unborn baby. Luckily, Rose of Sharon has Ma in order to keep her from leaving also. Now Rose of Sharon is very scared of what is going to happen to her baby. Now that it has no father, she knows that the life she thought it was going to have was not going to happen. When Steinbeck says, "But I felt it hurt. I felt it kinda jar when I yelled" (Steinbeck 130). Rose of Sharon realizes after the Joads dog gets hit by a car that something happened to her baby. She said in this quote that "I felt it kinda jar when I yelled" she is explaining what happened inside her stomach when the dog got hit by the car and she yelled. In the beginning of this book, Rose of Sharon was a lady that was high spirited and a dreamer. Towards the end of the book, Rose of Sharon became a women who finally came into reality. After her baby died and after her husband left her, she still went on and became a women and gave another man and her family hope. It was very easy during a time like this especially after losing your husband and your "unborn" child to fall into a depression state, but Rose of Sharon proved that wrong and went on helping a man who was about to die of starvation and gave him a new beginning as well as her family.

Bibliography

Steinbeck, John. The Grapes of Wrath. New York: Penguin, 2002. Print.

Pa Joad- The Grapes of Wrath

Pa Joad throughout the story of The Grapes of Wrath showed a lot of leadership in his time. That is what families like the Joads use to look up to, the men. When Pa Joad was evicted from his farm he did not know where to go. He knew that in a matter of time that his family wanted to know where to go next. He decided to go to California where he knew that jobs were plentiful and you got a little bit of wage. Pa was a good-hearted man and he cared for his family very much. Throughout the trip to California though he started to get a little bit scared of what might happen next so he turned to Ma Joad who took control. Even though he did not like the position of listening to his wife making the decisions, he decided it was best for the family. When Steinbeck says, "Pa shook hands gravely. You're welcome here, sir" (Steinbeck 72). This shows how welcoming Pa was in order to let Jim Casy and Tom stay with them. After all the time that Tom was in jail for killing a man, Pa still realized that he was family and that he deserved to stay with them and still take them on their trip to California. Pa's values to his family were caring, loving, and conservative. Pa showed much appreciation that he had a family and a loving wife. He did not take life for granite considering living in these times when he was an old man. He decided not to give up on his family and take them west to head into California. At the end of the story once the Joads could not find any work in California Pa got lost in his thoughts and could not be a leader any more for the Joad family. He became less and less as a leader towards the end. Until the ending of the novel Pa showed much leadership and strength for the Joad family.

Bibliography

Steinbeck, John. The Grapes of Wrath. New York: Penguin, 2002. Print.

Motifs- The Grapes of Wrath

Back when the Great Depression was around the men would usually make all of the desicions. In the Joads' family that was their family structure. The men would make all the desicions while the women stayed back and just did what the men said. Usually Pa would make all of the decisions when the Joads' were around, but when the Joads' were on their way to California Pa just started to think about things that did not really matter about the family so Ma had to step in and make the decisions. Pa was not used to somebody else making all the decisions so he got mad at Ma for making any decisions at all. When Ma made decisions it made the family structure go way off. In my opinion, people back then should of listened to anybody who had ideas because in the Great Depression people needed help and the men could not do it all. When Steinbeck says, "She said, Tom, I hope things is all right in California. He turned and looked at her. What makes you think they ain't? he asked. Well -- nothing. Seems too nice, kinda. I seen the han'bills fellas pass out, an' how much work they is, an' high wages an' all; an' I seen in the paper how they want folks to come an' pick grapes an' oranges an' peaches. That'd be nice work, Tom, pickin' peaches. Even if they wouldn't let you eat none, you could maybe snitch a little ratty one sometimes. An' it'd be nice under the trees, workin' in the shade. I'm scared of stuff so nice. I ain't got faith. I'm scared somepin ain't so nice about it" (Steinbeck 90 and 91). This is showing all the say that Ma is able to talk about. She is talking about all the jobs that are in California and all the nice things she has heard about it, but she is scared about heading to it because it sounds to nice. Throughout the whole trip to California the Joads' family structure went from being the leadership of men to the leadership of either the men or the women.

Bibliography

Steinbeck, John. The Grapes of Wrath. New York: Penguin, 2002. Print.