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Post by The Thought Police (admin) on Sept 13, 2018 3:12:57 GMT -5
Bradbury clearly demonstrates a factor of Montag’s change in character through his participation in the murder of a woman who has illegal books in her home. Montag is starting to feel as though he is doing something wrong in this society. He has been called to the house to burn the books but begins to realise the damage he is doing to society and the people within it. “Montag had done nothing – his hands had done it all…”
Montag feels that his hand has a mind of its own and so he should be exempt from the situation. It also shows how two sides of Montag are clashing with each other for control of his body. One side is the mindless drone that follows his society and Beatty’s orders without question. The other is desperate for knowledge and curious to know what he is missing. This is a motif used by Bradbury throughout the novel to show Montag’s inner struggle. Montag’s hands are used as synecdoche to represent his denial that he himself is truly responsible for his rebellious actions. Furthermore, Bradbury reveals the power that the old woman’s words will have over Montag when she says:
“Play the man Master Ridley, we shall light a candle this day that will never be put out.”
This alludes to both the witchtrials and the burning of heretics by the church where people were wrongfully punished and bound to the stake for their standing up against society. Therefore, this old woman[‘s death as a martyr for her beliefs is going to create a ripple affect in Montag and the rest of society, hopefully, to make a change in his beliefs.
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