If you had an opportunity to live in Guy Montag's society, what role would you take? A long shallow life like Mildred, her friends, and nearly everyone else? Or Montag and Faber; a believer of truth and connection, but in hiding and secrecy? Or Clarisse, open and unabashed and unafraid and a life filled with happiness, only to have it cut short?

Well, the part of me which requires structure and rules and guidance would manage to keep me in line, but the curious skeptic and freedom-loving liberal part of me would probably find it's way out of the fog just long enough to get scared and go get drunk again.

So, in all honesty, as much as I hate to admit it, I'd probably be more like Mildred. Only drunker.

I've often wondered about Beatty. Was he indoctrinated from the word go with the ideas he sets forth in his long monologue, or did he arrive at them on his own? He's obviously intelligent, well-read and knowledgable about history. I've often wondered about his superiors, too. Who are they? What are the tenets (if any) of the doctrine they apparently cling to?

think i would more or less be like Guy. I am more of a person who likes to find the truth in what is lying beyond or out of reach. He was searching in himself and through the books to find happiness and like the people of our day we are all searching for something too. Maybe a combination of Clarissa and Guy would be the best. You would live your life happy but still search for the inner part of you that is missing. i think i would be that combination as most others would agree.

If I live in Guy Montags society I would be like Montag and Faber. I would be so sick of the life of practically no learning or imagination. Like the book says "The comfortable people want only wax moon faces, poreless, hairless, expressionless." I would not want to be one of those people that is totally expressionless and depends on the government to make decisions for me. But I would also be like Montag and Faber and keep it secretive to prevent their secret from getting to the firemen. I would also keep it a secret because i would want to prevent the whole city from finding out about the books, because if you think about it, what would happen? Would the whole city go crazy? Would their whole society change, and their ways of living just from reading books? I do not think that Montag or Faber would want to take that kind of risk. I also think that you make a good point about Clarisse having a life filled with happiness. She was happy because she had such an open mind and was opinionated, all because of books. I think she lived her life to the fullest compared to all of the other people like Mildred. But my only question is, do you think Clarisse was the one that changed Montags life, or was it someone or something else that changed Montags views on his job and life?

i think if any of us have lived in montag's society, we would all be living a similar life to Mildred. Montag delt with so many horrible things once he came to the realization on how the society was run. Even if some of us had came across this truth, we probably would just keep living the same life because it would be too hard and painful to deal with the harsh change.

As a reference to my life, making myself a character in the story of Fahrenheit 451, I would consider living my days like Clarisse. She was so open and free to everything around her, expressing her doubts, love, and even nonsense yet experiencing what it meant to watch others and be out of the ordinary. My role in such a society that Ray created would be as a watcher and questioner of the things and people around me. It seemed that the government or even how messages were sent out to the people were very limited. Everyone lived a nonintellectual life of TV parlors and shows like �the white clown.� I would enjoy seeing the views of the people around me, and consider their thoughts and ideas but in the end; that would be as far as I would let my mind take me. Knowing the different consequences of having books would stop me from actually possessing them, and I think that is what affected the society so much in the book. People were scared and learned to just not care anymore or wonder. Clarisse was the one person that asked more than acted and I see myself as a character that brings out the truth more than change the future and the mind of the hardheaded as Montag tried.

If I could be any of the characters from fahrenheit 451 I would have to be Guy Montag. Actually I think I am a little like him already. Considering that Montag is definitly a non-conformist of his "time",I like to think of my self as one too. If I was in Guy's shoes I think I would have done almost the exact same things as he did. I've been grounded and had to stay inside the house for long periods of time, so the whole liveing in secracy part wouln't bother me that much. Since I love to read it would probably be the perfect job for me.

Very perceptive post, gschwnic. Some quick thoughts--first, I always saw F451 as a warning. How did the society in F451 get that way? Apathy can very easily allow the repression of free, creative thinking.

Second, all the major characters are a study in how people react to a situation. It takes true courage to initiate positive, meaningful change.

Also, I've thought about the idea of government being an expedient (thank you Thoreau and Emerson), handling details of our lives that we can't personally deal with, or don't care to. F451 exemplifies what could happen when a system like that goes horribly wrong.

If it were me I would be similair to Clarisse for many reasons. First off I like to express myself and i would'nt want to hide that from the world. I would'nt follow the crowd just because, I would express myself as an individual based on how I feel.
If I was into books I would pass on what I have learned just as Clarisse did. Clarisse loved to express herself to Montag, she would tell him what she has learned from her Uncle and he most likely got his knowlege from books.
Many people nowadays dispise reading and are starting to refuse. If schools didnt make them read then they most likely would'nt. I on the other hand love to read and if it ever got to the point were i could no longer, I would tell people by word of mouth. I would be happy and joyful about it, i would'nt try and hide it.
So basically to sum this up i would really recignize myself as a Clarrise type person.

If I lived in the society in which Montag lives in, I would be one of following three characters: Faber, Clarisse or Beatty. I say Faber or Clarisse because they both question the truth. I just could not say now which one I'd be because I don't know if I would be courageous enough to stand up to the world like Clarisse does. We have to face it, she's standing up against almost everyone she knows. She does not really have any supporters or friends, and that is a hard thing to do no matter how much courage you have. So if I did not have the courage to publicly announce my beliefs I'd be like a Faber.
I also think that I could be like Beatty. Beatty obviously is an intelectual man who has read books. He knows what is in them and has made a conscious choice of burning them. He is not just doing it because it's his job and doesn't know what is contained in these book or what information he is burning. He is well aware of it and seems to understand the people around him in a different way than the rest of the characters in the novel.

Absolutely, gschwnic. Now that someone has actually said it, I will admit to not having been brave enough before to admit to really identifying with Mildred. Wanting to be Clarisse, but drifting too dangerously Mildredwards to make true Clarisse claims.

If I had a choice I would be Guy Montag. I think this because he is kind, thoughtful, and loves books. I also like reading books and I'm also kind, and thoughtful. Even if I would have to live in secrecy I believe it would be worthwhile. I believe it would be worthwhile because the risk of geting caught would be exciting to me.

I would be mostly like Montag. I am a person that attempts to find the truth and what propels it. I have my reasons and my ways to find the truth and I will continue searching for it until I find it. Then again, what is truth? Is it the moral value set by our ancestors many years ago? Or is it some sort of way to keep us all in line by those that are in charge? Many people have different meanings for the word and it's because of those meanings that make the word great. If there was only one meaning of it people would be full of confusion of what needs to be done and what doesn't. It's because of that search of truth that I am most like Montag.

If i were to live in montags society,i would enjoy it alot. For one because there would be no books and im not really into reading books. The society would be great for me because i would perfer to watch t.v instead of reading books.I think it would be great to be one with nature. If i lived in that society the character i would be most like is Clarisse. there for i think that living in montags society wouldn't be that bad.