Guy Montag continues to be an ordinary fireman; he finds books and burns them, and then he burns the ashes. One day at the firehouse, Guy and the other firemen receive a call to go burn some books at the ancient part of the city. What was weird about the woman who lived in that house, was the fact that she didn't fight back against the firemen (like people usually do), and refused to leave the house. She was later burned with her books. (Creepy. This woman was, in my opinion, some type of martyr since she worships books like a religion) Guy was really disturbed because of this and was beginning to question if books had something that was worth dying for, so he stole a book from the house and took it with him. That night when he got home, his wife told him that Clarisse had been run over by a car and her whole family moved away afterwards. (Surprise!) Since Guy didn't go to work the next day, he is surprised when his boss knocks on the door to have a talk with him. Captain Beatty (the weird boss with the weird car) tells Guy the reason for which the world is how it is and Guy is taken aback when he mentions books. Captain Beatty explained that once upon a time, people read books for fun.Then, there was less words and more pictures in the books, school was shortened and soon it was turning out more runners and jumpers than scientists and imaginative creators, the word “intellectual” lost it's meaning, the population became bigger and minorities were controlled. It was technology and mass exploitation that made books disappear so people could stay happy all the time; firemen kept the peace. Beatty explains that if, out of curiosity, a fireman was to take a book home and did not burn it in 24 hours; the other firemen would just burn it for him.
Guy realizes that he can't keep his secret forever and shows his wife the books he has been hiding behind the air conditioner for over a year now.They agree on reading some of the books and deciding if they are worth keeping or not.
“ “Ask yourself, What do we want in this country, above all? People want to be happy, isn't that right? Haven't you heard it all your life? I want to be happy, people say. Well, aren't they? Don't we keep them moving, don't we give them fun? That's all we live for, isn't it?” ”(59)
This quote is said by Captain Beatty to Guy when he is explaining the reason for why society is where it is. Of course, this is a futuristic and post-apocalyptic world Beatty is describing but what he is saying is not completely false after all. Lucky for me (and you), I can read books and be happy at the same time. But on the other side, I fear that one day, society is going to be so messed up and helpless that there will be people who need to keep us happy. I fear this because I should make myself happy, and keep it like that.
“ “Let you alone! That’s all very well, but how can I leave myself alone? We need not to be let alone. We need to be really bothered once in awhile. How long is it since you were really bothered? About something important, about something real?” ” (52)
This quote from the book is said by Guy to his wife the morning before Captain Beatty´s visit. I find it strange that Guy wants trouble or worries in his life (or at least that is how I see it). I mean, no one´s life is perfect and we all have troubles and have been really bothered once in awhile, but what throws me off is that Guy willingly wants to be bothered. Why does Guy want to be bothered? Is he normally bothered by things that are not important, that are not real? Is he really bothered at all by anything?
This book has left me surprised, to say the least. It has been far more mysterious than I thought it would be.I was definitely surprised when Clarisse died because her character was funny. I just hope that Guy keeps the books even if it brings him trouble, I hope that he and his wife get to see the good side of books before it's too late. Maybe they will find out that if something is worth your time, it won´t be easy. I think that, so far, the author is trying to teach us about the little things that we have because they might be gone in the future. I seriously don't know what will happen next since there is a thousand possibilities running through my head (and yes, a few include “The Hound”).
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