Set in a world without literary wisdom, Fahrenheit 451 by legendary science fiction author Ray Bradbury is the story of those who dare to free themselves from the shackles of censorship and intellectual repression. In a climate of intense control of information, Bradbury focuses on the psychological conflicts of one man, firefighter Guy Montag, and the internal struggles that arise from his interactions with the sterile world around him. In a way, each character can be interpreted as representing a different aspect of society, from the utterly obedient book burner, Beatty, to the free-spirited teenager, Clarisse. While the world Bradbury confronts his readers with is unfathomably futuristic, the characters are distinctly human and serve as a successful link between contemporary readers and the author's vision of the 24th century. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Bradbury's brilliantly written protagonist in this novel is Guy Montag, a thirty-year-old third-generation fireman, appropriately named after a major paper company. At first glance the term "firefighter" may bring to mind images of courage or heroism, but 24th century firefighters have a much more sinister role in society: rather than putting out fires, their job is to burn books and houses. those caught possessing illegal literature. Montag is, in many ways, the archetypal "antihero" so popular in fantasy and science fiction literature; like Darth Vader from the Star Wars films, but in a much more subtle way, he is a dark servant of an oppressive government who must deal with his career and the lives he and his government have destroyed. During the novel's early scenes, Montag relishes his book-burning career, delivering iron-fisted justice with a dogmatic sense of patriotism. Behind his kerosene-soaked exterior, however, Montag is completely apathetic about his job, his wife, and the world he lives in; he feels strongly about nothing, simply performing his required tasks mechanically. As a firefighter, Montag acts as Fire Chief Beatty's servile dog, a "big brother"-like character who always seems to know when someone is on the verge of acquiring free thinking. This makes sense, of course, since Beatty's career is all about finding and destroying the seeds of free thought: books. Ironically, Captain Beatty often cites literary knowledge in his rants against the inclusion of books in society, demonstrating that he knows the subject of his hatred well enough to understand it, and thus lending a certain level of credibility to his beliefs. Beatty is aided by two firefighters named Black and Stoneman, as well as a technological monster called The Mechanical Hound, a robotic dog used to hunt down and kill criminals. Montag is married to a completely lifeless woman named Mildred, who embodies society's superficial complacency. Mildred eschews intellectual pursuits in favor of technological gadgets like her three-walled interactive television and clamshell earphones, which provide her with a constant escape from reality. This desire to escape leads her to constantly take sleeping wills, an overdose of which nearly leads to her death. Later, when she discovers that her husband is secretly studying books, she abandons him and her home to escape the "unpleasantness" of literature, once again demonstrating her need for escape. Everything changes, however, when he meets the free, lively Clarisse..