Unit Title: Fahrenheit 451
Part One: The Evolution of Character
Lesson 4: The Evolution of Character
Date: _____________________
Time: 75 minutes
Lesson Expectations: The students shall:
1. Understand the awakening of Montag’s character as he moves from bulwark of
the establishment to rebel.
2. Comprehend that character whether in novels or in life is not necessarily a static
entity but is capable of change and evolution.
3. Be able to identify incidents in the plot of Fahrenheit 451 which drive the
evolution of Montag’s character.
Anticipatory Set:
10 min
Write a quotation from the novel on the board:
“He was not happy. He was not happy. He said the words to himself. He
recognized this as the true state of affairs. He wore his happiness like a
mask and the girl had run off across the lawn with the mask and there
was no way of going to knock on her door and ask for it back.” (p.12)
Answer the following questions:
1. Who is not happy?
2. What has just happened in the novel?
3. What does the author mean when he says “He wore his happiness
like a mask?”
Instructional Strategies:
30 min

Question-based précis discussion of The Hearth and the Salamander using Fahrenheit
451 Precis Questions/Discussion.
[We won’t be surprised if students haven’t finished reading yet. This will make sure that
e/one is on the same page.]

Read Excerpt #1 from Fahrenheit 451 The Hearth and the Salamander - The Evolution
of Character then read Excerpt #2. Briefly discuss the following questions:


Q: What’s different about Montag in the first excerpt that I read and in the second one?
Q: Is the Montag of the second excerpt the kind of guy that the government in F-451 will
trust?
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25 min

Divide the class into groups and distribute Fahrenheit 451 The Hearth and the
Salamander - The Evolution of Character handout. (Contains instructions.)

At the end of the discussion period, each group reports on the events they have decided
are important for moving Montag from complacent citizen to rebel.
o Make sure that you push them to tie in their choice of an event with a reason why
it helped to change Montag’s character.
10 min Questions/Review
1. How is Clarisse different from the other people that Montag knows?
2. What does Montag find at home after the first time he meets Clarisse?
3. What is Mildred’s favourite thing to do?
4. What is a beetle?
5. Who is Montag’s boss?
6. Who sets the fire that kills the old woman?
7. Why does Montag call in sick to work at the end of The Hearth and the Salamander?
8. Is the change in Montag’s character that occurs in The Hearth and the Salamander, a
healthy one?
Assessment strategies:
(1) Observation: Gauge prior knowledge and understanding through questioning the
students and listening to their opinions and observations during the general and group
discussion periods.
(2) Daily questions
Materials Needed:
(1) Fahrenheit 451 Precis Questions/Discussion: F451_L4_precisQuestions.doc
(2) Fahrenheit 451 The Hearth and the Salamander - The Evolution of Character
handout: Character F451_L4_GrpDiscussPrompts_handout.doc
Administrative NTS:
Blackboard: (see Anticipatory Set, above)
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