Friday, July 11, 2014

According to pages 3-4, what does Montag think of his job in Fahrenheit 451?

Montag is definitely enamored of his job, but it's a
mindless love. The way he is described in the narrative, and the way he describes
himself to Clarisse a few pages later, indicates that Montag very much accepts the
status quo in society, his life, and the presumed agreement between the two. After all,
he does one of the essential jobs in this society, one which is well known and highly
regarded (albeit feared) and he has no reason not to enjoy his status, both for the
visceral pleasure it brings and for the service that it renders to
everyone.


We can also infer that Montag doesn't think at
all of the human element of his job; he sees it in an almost poetic sense, and he
focuses entirely upon the objects that are being destroyed, not the people or the
emotions they may attach to the burning. This is supported in greater detail later,
where Montag seems to almost be making excuses as to why he doesn't have to acknowledge
that people own these books and attach meaning to them. For him, his job exists in a
sort of encapsulated time and place, as though he simply appears, burns an inanimate
object, and leaves as cleanly as he came. 

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