Beatty is another character that had much influence over Montag in
Fahrenheit 451. As his captain of the firemen squad, Montag
had to listen to Beatty and obey his every command. Most of the time it seems that Beatty
genuinely cares about Montag, and goes as far as giving him a chance to repent
for stealing the book. “’A natural error. Curiosity alone,’ said Beatty. ‘We don’t get overanxious or mad. We let the fireman keep the book twenty-four
hours. If he hasn’t burned it by then,
we simply come burn it for him.’” (Bradbury 59). Captain Beatty is a very interesting
character. He is in charge of the
burning of books, yet seems to be the one with the most knowledge of them. “Beatty is a
complex character, full of contradictions. He is a book burner with a vast
knowledge of literature, someone who obviously cared passionately about books
at some point. It is important to note that Beatty’s entire speech to Montag
describing the history of the firemen is strangely ambivalent, containing tones
of irony, sarcasm, passion, and regret, all at once. Beatty calls books
treacherous weapons, yet he uses his own book learning to manipulate Montag
mercilessly.” (Sparknotes 1). This is where Beatty differs from Montag. He is interested in literature or at least
once was, but is not willing to think about what he read. Beatty wants a one word answer and literature
definitely does not give that. Montag is
the hero of this novel because he is willing to put forth the effort and decide
himself what he will believe. Beatty
does not really like the idea of his entertainment society, but he believes
that it does its job. Everyone is
“happy” with who they are and what they do.
Most characters do not realize how shallow their lives really are. Beatty is pictured as the villain because he
knows the truth, yet refuses to act on it.
Bradbury, Ray. Fahrenheit 451. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1967. Print."Fahrenheit 451." SparkNotes. SparkNotes, n.d. Web. 18 Aug. 2012. <http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/451>.
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