Set in the 24th century, Fahrenheit 451 tells the story of the protagonist, Guy Montag. At first, Montag takes pleasure in his profession as a fireman, burning illegally owned books and the homes of their owners. However, Montag soon begins to question the value of his profession and, in turn, his life. Throughout the novel Montag struggles with his existence, eventually fleeing his oppressive, censored society and joining an underground network of intellectuals. With his newfound friends, Montag witnesses the atomic destruction if his former city and dedicates himself to rebuilding a literate and cultural society.

At the beginning of the novel, Montag develops a friendship with his 17 year old neighbor, Clarisse McClellan, whose humanistic outlook and inquisitive nature prompt Montag to examine his life. Soon, he realizes he is unhappy and no longer loves his wife, Millie. Meanwhile, Millie is unwilling to deal with reality and instead chooses to immerse herself in interactive television, seashell radio, and an addiction to tranquilizers. Unfulfilled by his occupation and discontent with a society unconcerned with reports of an impending atomic war, Montag begins to question the ways of the world. Specifically, Montag wonders why books are perceived to be so dangerous and why some people are so loyal to them. What power lies in books?

Driven by his increasing uneasiness, Montag steals a book from a collection he is sent to burn. At the scene of the burning, Montag is shaken when the owner of the books, an older woman, refuses to leave her home. Instead, the woman sets fire to her kerosene soaked house and remains there as it, and she, are destroyed by flames. The woman's dedication to her books makes Montag realize that perhaps the happiness he lacks can be found in books. After the burning, Montag returns home, feeling ill as he relives the woman's horrific death. He begins to realize that although, over the past ten years, he thought he was serving society as a fireman, he was actually purely an instrument of destruction. That night, in a discussion with Millie, Montag learns that his friend Clarisse was killed by a speeding car more than a week earlier. Upon hearing this news, Montag feels even more ill. He falls asleep that night with his stolen book hidden underneath his pillow.

The next day, Montag refuses to attend work, claiming that he is sick. His boss, Captain Beatty, visits Montag that morning, and appears to somehow be aware of the internal struggle Montag is suffering through, and that Montag might possess books. Beatty lectures Montag about the offensiveness of books and the superiority of their current society, where homogeneity and structure are mandated, to the old society where free thought was encouraged and people were permitted to express differing opinions. During Beatty's visit, Millie nervously organizes the bedroom and tries to pull Montag's pillow away. When he won't let her, she puts her hand underneath it and finds the hidden book. Millie is astonished, and although she does not directly give up her husband, she asks Beatty what would happen if a fireman brought a book home. Beatty says firemen are allowed to bring a book home, but must burn it within 24 hours.

When Beatty departs, Montag retrieves some 20 books that he has stolen from alarms over the years and begins to read. Unsure as to what to do next, Montag recalls meeting a retired professor, Faber, a year earlier and discussing with the old man the value of ideas. He decides to visit Faber, who is at first afraid to speak with him, fearing that he will be the fireman's next victim. However, as the two men grow to trust one another, Faber becomes a mentor to Montag, sharing insight with the fireman and conspiring with him to have copies of his books made. Faber gives Montag a small two-way radio of his own invention to insert in his ear so that the two men will always be in communication.

At home, Montag becomes disgusted with his wife and her friends as they sit idly, watching television and engaging in gossip that reveals their selfishness and lack of awareness or concern for the impending atomic war. Against Faber's objections streaming through the secret radio echoing in his ear, Montag engages the women in a debate about family and politics. Next, he reads to them from a book of poetry. Mildred's friends react emotionally to Montag's reading, crying and not understanding the source of their tears. When Mildred's two shaken friends depart, she retires to her room to take some sleeping pills and Montag hides his books in the backyard before heading off to work, where Beatty engages in more anti-book, anti-intellectual rhetoric. The firemen are called to an alarm, and Montag is dismayed to discover that it is his own house that is to be burned. His wife Millie reported him.

After burning his home and possessions by himself, room by room, as ordered by Captain Beatty, Montag is chided by his boss, and the two men engage in a scuffle, during which Faber's radio is knocked from Montag's ear. When Beatty remarks that both Montag and his "friend" (Faber) will be dealt with severely, Montag threatens him with the flamethrower. When Beatty continues to verbally abuse him, Montag flips the switch and kills the chief. At once, the Mechanical Hound, a computerized attack dog that can track down any human being by scent, pursues him. The Hound stabs him in the leg with a procaine needle, but Montag is able to annihilate it with the flamethrower before it can do more damage. Montag retrieves his remaining books from the yard before running to Faber's. On the way, he pauses to plant the books in the home of fireman Black, briefly collects himself at a gas station where he hears reports that war has been declared, and when crossing the road is nearly run over by a reckless driver.

Faber provides refuge for Montag, who is being hotly pursued by a second Mechanical Hound and the authorities. Faber provides Montag with some old clothes (masking his scent and thus impeding the Mechanical Hound), and tells him to go to the river and float downstream to the train tracks, where he will hopefully find a hobo camp of intellectual outlaws who can help him. In turn, Montag encourages Faber to turn on all of his sprinklers to throw the Hound of his scent. Montag departs, Faber heeds his advice, and then sets off for St. Louis to commission a former printer he knows to print some books. Montag floats down the river, successfully avoiding the Hound, and comes upon a group of former writers, clergymen, and academics by the riverbank. The leader of the group, an author named Granger, welcomes Montag and offers him a concoction to change his pH so that the Hound cannot detect his presence. The men then use a portable television to watch the police chase Montag's escape has caused. Montag is shocked to see the Mechanical Hound kill another man as the announcer proclaims, "Montag is dead!" The police, not wanting to lose the confidence of the public, set the Hound after an innocent man when it lost Montag's scent.

Granger tells Montag how the men in his camp have each memorized literary works so that someday, when it is safe to do so, they can again print books, recreating them from memory. When atomic bombs destroy the city, the men set out to sift through the rubble and begin anew. They plan to foster a society where books and free thought can flourish.

Source: Mackey, Erin. "Fahrenheit 451 Sudy Guide: Short Summary." www.gradesaver.com. GradeSaver. 8 April 2009. <http://www.gradesaver.com/fahrenheit-451/study-guide/short-summary/>.

Guy Montag: The protagonist is a 30 year old fireman who makes his living by burning books and the houses where they are illegally kept. At the start of the novel, Montag seems to be the quintessential fireman; delighting in the work of burning books and homes, and believing himself a happy man. However, as the novel progresses, Montag becomes increasingly discontent as he realizes he has been living an empty, unfulfilling life. Initially, Montag is unsure of the cause behind his apathy for his wife, job, and the society in which he lives. Through his friendship with Clarisse McClellan, Montag comes to realize that he is not in love with his wife and that he is, in fact, disgusted with himself and those around him for choosing to embrace the unimportant, cosmetic facade of life rather than examine what lies beneath. During a certain alarm, Montag and the other firemen burn a woman alive in her own home, because she refuses to abandon her books. At this fire, Montag secretly takes a book home, something we soon learn he has done before. Following this horrific experience, Montag develops a psychosomatic ailment and questions whether he can continue in his line of work. Despite the constant bullying of his boss, Chief Beatty, Montag turns to Professor Faber, a man of books who Montag met once long ago, for guidance in his quest for knowledge. Montag's internal struggle and impatience for ignorance continue and are brought to a head when he finds himself on an alarm to burn his own home. Unable to contain his contempt any longer, Montag kills Chief Beatty and sets out to see Faber, his mentor, before fleeing police and certain death by floating down river. Montag completes his journey when he finds Granger and other like-minded book loving individuals along the train tracks. Together, Granger, Montag and the others witness an atomic blast that destroys the city, and begin on a quest to assist in the rebirth of a new society based on truth and knowledge.

Mildred (Millie) Montag: Montag's wife of ten years epitomizes the shallowness and complacentness of society that Montag comes to despise. Millie forgoes real happiness to immerse herself in the technological gadgets of the age, such as her television walls and seashell radios, which allow her a constant escape from reality. Millie's need for escape also leads her to a suicide attempt that after recovering from, she does not even recall. Eventually, Millie is overwhelmed by her husband's discovery and dedication to books, reports his illegal activity and flees the house. Millie, the epitome of Fahrenheit 451's empty society, is undoubtedly destroyed when the city is decimated by an atomic bomb at the conclusion of the novel.

Clarisse McClellan: Clarisse is a wide-eyed 17 year old girl to whom Montag is drawn. Clarisse is interested in parts of the world Montag doesn't understand, such as watching people, looking at the moon, and smelling the leaves. Clarisse has no taste for the advanced technology her society has come to depend on, and thus represents the antithesis of Millie, Montag's wife. Montag admires Clarisse for her curiosity and awareness of the world around her, and is disturbed by her accurate understanding of his empty, loveless life. Thus, Clarisse is the first to encourage Montag on his path to self-awareness. Soon after she and Montag develop a friendship, Clarisse is killed by a speeding car. Her death represents the intolerance of an overbearing, dehumanized society for those who do not conform.

Captain Beatty: The antagonist of the novel, Captain Beatty, runs the fire house where Montag works. The firemens' sole purpose is to sniff out and destroy books and, therefore, destroy the seeds of free thought. A "big brother" character to Montag, Captain Beatty demonstrates vast literary knowledge in his arguments against the presence of books in society. Beatty often antagonistically lectures Montag, trying to prevent him from succumbing to the appeal of books. Towards the end of the novel, Montag kills Beatty with the firethrower that has burned thousands of books and hopes. Rather than fighting Montag, Beatty simply accepts his death. Montag later realizes that the fire chief wanted to die, demonstrating an extreme dissatisfaction with his life.

Professor Faber: An aging intellectual in a world with no place for such people, Faber greatly disapproves of the dehumanized, oppressive society in which he lives. However, Faber feels it is safer to live discreetly rather than protest or attempt to change the world. Faber and Montag first met years ago in a park and after a long discussion about books, gave Montag his contact information. After Montag is taken in by the magic of books, he seeks Faber out and together, the two men try to work together against their oppressive society. When Montag is running from the law, Faber helps him escape. At the end of the novel, we are led to believe that Faber escapes the atomic bomb, as he had planned to catch an early bus out of the city.

Granger: An intellectual and former author, Granger is the leader of the group of hoboes that Montag meets along the tracks after fleeing from the police and Hound. Like Clarisse and Faber, Granger is a sympathetic character, taking Montag under his wing and encouraging him in his quest to remember and comprehend what he has read. Granger speaks highly of his grandfather and his belief that as long as one has contributed to the world, his or her life was important. After the city is destroyed, Granger leads Montag and the other intellectuals to rebuild an improved, literate society.

Mechanical Hound: The terrible triumph of modern technology, the Mechanical Hound is programmed to track down and destroy any victim to whom its infallible sensors are set, and can distinguish over 10,000 different scents. After Montag murders Beatty, the Hound stabs and injects Montag's leg with procaine. However, Montag is able to successfully destroy the Hound with the flamethrower. Authorities send in a second Hound to hunt him down, but Montag is able to throw it off his scent and escape. Unfortunately, the Hound kills an innocent man whom the media claims in Montag, thus keeping the faith and fear of the people.

Old Woman: The old woman is one of the victims of the firemens' fury. Rather than surrendering her books and saving herself, the old woman chooses to burn herself to death among her treasured possessions. While in her house, Montag steals a book that he later hides in his home. Throughout the novel, Montag is unable to forget the image of the old woman, and wonders what in books could possibly inspire so much passion.

Black and Stoneman: These two men are firemen who work with Montag and share the "burnt-in" smile and unquestioning devotion to book burning Montag feels early in the novel. Montag threatens to kill Black and Stoneman when they approach him after he burns Beatty. Later, while running from the authorities Montag plants a book in Black's house. It is presumed Black and Stonemen are killed when the city is destroyed.

Mrs. Phelps and Mrs. Bowles: These two women are housewives and friends of Millie, sharing her interest in the television and her simplistic outlook on life. The three women gather to watch "the family" on Montag's walls. Their chatter reveals their selfishness and lack of purpose. They are unconcerned for their husbands and children and chose the presidential candidate for whom they voted based on looks. The two women surprise both themselves and Montag when they are greatly affected by the poetry he reads to them.

Source: Mackey, Erin. "Fahrenheit 451 Sudy Guide: Character List." www.gradesaver.com. GradeSaver. 8 April 2009. <http://www.gradesaver.com/fahrenheit-451/study-guide/character-list/>.

Censorship: In Fahrenheit 451, owning and reading books is illegal. Members of society focus only on entertainment, immediate gratification and speeding through life. If books are found, they are burned and their owner is arrested. If the owner refuses to abandon the books, as is the case with the Old Woman, he or she often dies, burning along with them. People with interests outside of technology and entertainment are viewed as strange, and possible threats.

In the book, Bradbury doesn't give a clear explanation of why censorship has become so great in this futuristic society. Rather, the author alludes to a variety of causes. Fast cars, loud music, and massive advertisements create an over stimulated society without room for literature, self-reflection, or appreciation of nature. Bradbury gives the reader a brief description of how society slowly lost interest in books, first condensing them, then relying simply on titles, and finally forgetting about them all together.

Bradbury also alludes to the idea that different "minority" groups were offended by certain types of literature. In his discussion with Montag, Beatty mentions dog lovers offended by books about cats, and cat lovers offended by books about dogs. The reader can only assume which minority groups Bradbury was truly referring to. Finally, in the Afterword to Fahrenheit 451, Bradbury clearly expresses his own sensitivity to attempts to restrict his writing. For example, he feels censored by letters suggesting he should give stronger roles to women or black men. Bradbury sees such suggestions and interventions as the first step towards censorship and book burning. (See also Definitions of Censorship)

Ignorance/Knowledge: Throughout the novel, the reader is presented with a conflict between knowledge and ignorance. What does true happiness consist of? Is ignorance bliss, or do knowledge and learning provide true happiness? Montag, in his belief that knowledge reigns, fights against a society that embraces and celebrates ignorance.

The fireman's responsibility is to burn books, and therefore destroy knowledge. Through these actions, the firemen promote ignorance to maintain the sameness of society. After befriending Clarisse, Montag finds himself unable to accept the status quo, believing life is more complete, true and satisfying when knowledge is welcomed into it. After making this discovery, Montag fights against ignorance, trying to help others welcome knowledge into their lives. For example, when his wife's friends come over, he forces them to listen to poetry. Although they become extremely upset after listening to what he reads, they are able to experience true emotion. In Montag's view, this emotion will give these women a fuller and more satisfying life.

Life/Death: Throughout the novel, Bradbury presents paradoxes between life and death. For example, Montag's wife Millie attempts suicide by swallowing sleeping pills. Montag discovers her, calls for emergency medical assistance and saves her life. During the time while the medical team is reviving Millie, it is unclear whether she will live or die. Montag learns through the medics that reviving suicide attempts is a very common act. The commonality of suicide attempts and saves blurs the line between life and death in this futuristic society. Upon realizing this, Montag begins to wonder what life truly is and why it feels so empty and dead.

Furthermore, the tool the medics use to pump Millie's stomach is referred to as the Electric-Eyed Snake, and the tool the firemen use to hunt down book owners is the Mechanical Hound, both inanimate objects that appear to have lives of their own. Montag finds himself wondering, are they alive or dead? In truth, in Montag's search for truth and knowledge, he is trying to give true life to his own existence and to prevent the cultural death of society.

Many people die in the novel. The old woman burns herself to death, Clarisse is killed by a speeding car, Montag kills Beatty with the flamethrower, and the Mechanical Hound kills an innocent man. Among all this destruction, Montag survives and is given new life, reborn after his trip down the river and after meeting Granger and taking the concoction to change his chemical balance. While Montag survives, the city and everyone he knew there are destroyed. Montag's interest in knowledge and dedication to a new and better society saved him. Thus, Bradbury seems to suggest that life is dependent on knowledge and awareness. If we become idle and complacent, we might as well be dead.

Animal Imagery: In the opening paragraph, the burning book pages are compared to birds trying to fly away. When Millie attempts suicide, Montag compares the tool used to save her to a snake. The Mechanical Hound is a dominant presence throughout the novel. The image of the salamander is dominant as well, as a symbol of the fireman. In addition, the story of the Pheonix plays a prominent role.

This animal imagery expresses the importance of nature in life. The lack of nature, or the manipulation of nature (i.e. the development of the Mechanical Hound), causes death and destruction. The only time animal imagery is positive in the entire novel is when Montag gets out of the river and encounters a deer. At first he thinks it is a Hound, but then realizes his mistake. The deer is peaceful, beautiful, and an expression of nature. This image welcomes Montag into his new life.

Technology: Technology in Bradbury's 24th century is highly advanced. Television screens take up entire parlor room walls and characters can speak directly to the listener, addressing him or her by name. Small seashell radios broadcast into people's ears throughout the day. People rely on inventions such as the Mechanical Hound and the snake-like tool used to save Millie's life after her suicide attempt. People drive cars at speeds of 150mph and above. Faber invents a small radio to be inserted in the ear through which he can communicate with Montag. Technology dominates society. Montag discusses this issue briefly with Clarisse and reflects on it as he opens up to the world of books. When he finally escapes his old life, the city is destroyed by atomic bombs (yet another example of negative technology), and Montag begins a simple life with very little technological tools as he sets out to rebuild society with Granger and the other intellectuals. Clearly, Bradbury is commenting on the negative influence of technological development in this world and the destructive potential of technology in our society.

Paradoxes: At the opening of Part I, when Montag goes home, his bedroom is described at first as "not empty" and then as "indeed empty". Mildred is there, but her mind is floating away with the music of her seashell radio and she is almost lost to a sleeping pill overdose. This concept of paradoxes continues throughout the book, expressed in the conflicts between life and death mentioned earlier. Examples include the "electric-eyed snake" tool that the technicians use to revive Mildred, and the Mechanical Hound, which appears to be both machine and animal. Furthermore, this paradox exists in the concept of "truth" portrayed in the novel. Beatty's "truth" is a fabrication and manipulation of history. Actual truth is hidden from society, or more accurately, burned. Many people in Montag's life, including Millie and her friends, believe they live in reality when in fact they live in a superficial world dominated by television, government oppression and the media. Society is blind to the truth. Montag's discovery of the truth and his dedication to living a life of truth save him from the ultimate destruction bombs bring to the city.

Religion: Although it appears no character in Fahrenheit 451 holds any religious beliefs, Bradbury includes many religious references in this novel. The book Montag saves from the old woman's house is The Bible. Throughout his tribulations, Montag holds on to this book, reading it on the subway, showing it to Faber, and finally, with Granger and the other intellectuals, Montag agrees that The Bible is the book he will memorize in order to one day, in a new society, reprint. Furthermore, Montag compares Millie's friends to icons he saw in a church once but did not understand. Later on in the novel, Faber compares himself to water and Montag to fire, saying the cooperation of the two will produce wine. This is an allusion to the biblical story of the miracle at Canaan where Christ transforms water into wine.

At the conclusion of the novel, Montag, Granger and the rest of the intellectuals walk up the river to find survivors of the ultimate atomic destruction of the city. In his walk, Montag remembers passages he read in his Bible from Ecclesiastes 3:1, "To everything there is a season," and Revelations 22:2, "And on either side of the river was there a tree of life...and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations." The apocalypse Montag has witnessed has clear connections to the apocalypse foreseen in the Bible.

Source: Mackey, Erin. "Fahrenheit 451 Sudy Guide: Major Themes." www.gradesaver.com. GradeSaver. 8 April 2009. <http://www.gradesaver.com/fahrenheit-451/study-guide/major-themes/>.

Dystopia: The word "dystopia" is formed as a play on the term " utopia". It is generally but erroneously believed that the word "utopia" is derived from the Greek elements "eu" meaning "well" (or by extension "good"), and "topos" meaning "place", and that "dystopia" was devised as its opposite using the element "dys" meaning "bad". In fact, "utopia", as originally coined by Sir Thomas More, was derived not from the Greek "eu" but from the Greek "ou" (meaning "not), both of which are conventionally transliterated into Western languages as "u". "Utopia" therefore meant not the "good place" but the "no place" (ie the place which does not really exist).

The first known use of the term "dystopia" appeared in a speech before the British Parliament by Greg Webber and John Stuart Mill in 1868. In that speech, Mill said, "It is, perhaps, too complimentary to call them Utopians, they ought rather to be called dys-topians, or caco-topians. What is commonly called Utopian is something too good to be practicable; but what they appear to favour is too bad to be practicable". His knowledge of Greek suggests that he was referring to a bad place, rather than simply the opposite of Utopia. (See also Common Traits and Characteristics in Fiction)