Farnehiet 451 by Ray Bradbury - 727 Words

To â€Å"wake up† means you conform your mind to reality. When you â€Å"wake up† you have a new silence for thinking. You have a different perspective on the things around you. We are living in a real world where real things happen. We need to know our surroundings and know how to act according to them. The book Fahrenheit 451 happens in the future when books are against the law. A fireman named Montag just so happens to undergo this situation of â€Å"waking up†. This essay will tell how he started to â€Å"wake up†, what things he needs learn, contrasts in cultures, and reflections on these contrasts. One night, while coming home from work, Montag meets a girl named Clarisse (pp. 3-4). She says she’s â€Å"seventeen and crazy† (p. 5). She starts to ask Montag very strange questions that have him thinking. At the end of their conversation she asks him, â€Å"Are you happy?† (p. 7). He thinks to himself, â€Å"Of course I am.† Later, however, he realizes he’s not happy (p. 9). Happiness is part of this book. In the beginning Montag thinks he’s happy, but realizes he’s not (pp. 7-9). This is the first part of â€Å"waking up† for Montag. Self- reflection helps him to start â€Å"waking up†. After this he begins to notice how far apart he is from everyone. He starts to ponder about things people say, like what Beatty says, and he eventually starts to hide books. Once Montag actually starts to hide books in his house (it takes a while), he starts to read them. He doesn’t