What Is the Conflict in “Fahrenheit 451”?
The main conflict in the novel “Fahrenheit 451” by Ray Bradbury is the conflict between man and society. Guy Montag, the main character in the story, is a firefighter who starts fires at houses where books are stored instead of putting fires out.
In the book, society refers to the firemen, Montag’s wife and Chief Beatty who all think Montag should follow the rules of society and just do his job. Instead, he goes against the main flow of society’s standards, escapes the city and finds a way he can influence others in a more positive manner as the leader of the movement in the pursuit of knowledge.
Set in the 24th century, “Fahrenheit 451” features a society that is censored. Life has little meaning because people are not allowed to think for themselves, and the whole population receives the same amount of knowledge and education. Anyone who goes against what society believes is subject todestruction by the Mechanical Hound, which kills free thinkers. Montag’s own wife turns him in as a free thinker and the Hound sets out to destroy Montag. Montag fights the Hound and gets away. When Montag escapes the country he finds other free thinkers who dedicate themselves to reintroducing education to the public.
