Choose a novel where a main character seeks to escape from the restraints of his society.
“Fahrenheit 451” by Ray Bradbury is a novel where the main character seeks to escape the constraints of his
society. In this novel the reader is presented with a character that seems to embody the norms of a futuristic
society. It isn’t until he meets Clarisse, a care-free young girl, that things start to change and he questions the
constraints society has placed on him. The desire to escape is presented through the use of theme,
characterisation, and dialogue.
Theme is used within the novel to expose how a character seeks to escape his society. The futuristic society in
which Montag lives tells him what to feel and especially that books are evil. He has been brainwashed into
believing this doctrine and doesn’t know any better. It isn’t until he meets Clarisse that he starts to change the
way he thinks, "Do you ever read any of the books you burn?" He laughed. "That's against the law!" "Oh. Of
course."It is because of Montag’s reaction, “he laughed” that we see that he is nervous of the question and
doesn’t know what to think. He exclaims, “that is against the law!” to illustrate he is a law abiding citizen but this
conversation has a lasting effect and it acts as a catalyst for Montag to escape from his society.
His desire to escape is evident when he discusses with his wife how there is a lack of emotion within the society.
“We need to be really bothered once in a while. How long is it since you were really bothered? About something
important, about something real?” By repeating “really bothered” this emphasises his desire to escape and start
to actually feel something. This idea is furthered when he says, “something real.” This highlights the issue in his
society that everything is trivial and superficial. He is willing to break the laws to escape the conforming nature of
his society.
Characterisation is an essential aspect of this novel which highlights how a character wishes to escape the
constraints of his society. Faber is an educated man who knows the value of books. He becomes a mentor for
Montag as he attempts to shed off the conforming nature of his society. “so now you see why books are hated
and feared. They show the pores in the face of life.” The word choice of “hated and feared” explains why books
have been banned. “Feared” reinforces the notion that the society is scared of finding out what is in books while
“pores” represents how knowledge from books could seep out into the world and destroy all of the governments
attempts to ban learning. From this metaphor, Montag sees the importance of books and this spurs him on to
escape from his society.
Faber further guides Montag and urges him to continue on his quest to escape from society. “Do your own bit of
saving, and if you drown, at least die knowing you were headed for shore.” This quote exposes the weakness of
Faber because he is too scared to do anything to change society so he councils Montag to try to make a
difference. “If you drown” infers that he might not win, in fact, he might die but it is the “bit of saving” that will
make the most difference. The image is continued with “headed for shore” which shows that Montag needs to do
something to escape from his life or else he will die an unhappy and unsatisfied man. If he doesn’t do anything,
society will continue to try and get him to conform to their way of thinking and he is unwilling to accept this.
Bradbury is able to use dialogue to illustrate the central concern of the novel as well as why Montag is desperate
to escape. Clarisse highlights how Montag is different from the other fireman and even if he does not know it,
even at the beginning of the novel has begun to shed the conforming nature of his society. “You're not like the
others. I've seen a few; I know. When I talk, you look at me. When I said something about the moon, you looked
at the moon, last night. The others would never do that. The others would walk off and leave me talking. Or
threaten me.” By repeating “the others” this shows how Montag contrasts to the other fireman and even the other
members of society. He is willing to listen to her and he does not feel threatened by him. “Threaten me”
demonstrates how others would use violence or aggression but Montag desires a change so he is willing to
listen. Clarisse’s character is important in showing Montag that there is another way to live and that he has the
innate ability to escape from the life he lives.
Montag’s most obvious response to wanting to escape is illustrated when he steals a book and then begins to
read it, “ Montag picked a single small volume from the floor. "Where do we begin?" He opened the book halfway
and peered at it. "We begin by beginning, I guess." The word choice of “peered” suggests that he is cautious but
also enchanted by what he sees and really wants to learn about books. “I guess” shows his uncertainty but also
his need to rebel and find out what secrets books hold. He is voicing his wish to be separate from society and
start living his own life.
In conclusion, “Fahrenheit 451” is a novel where the main character seeks to escape the constraints of his
society. It is because of the oppressive nature of his society that Montag rebels and searches for something that
will make him happy. The book warns us that if we are too eager to accept government rule, we may end up in
place that lacks independent thought.