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What’s black and white and sometimes gray? It’s not a riddle; it’s the cast of Ray Bradbury’s novel, Fahrenheit 451. This is a book about good and bad, white and black … OK, and one guy who’s maybe at least a little of both.

Video Transcription:

Fahrenheit 451 sort of reads like a comic book. That’s because its cast is all about the good guys and the bad guys … and the grey guy in between.

GOOD GUY

Professor Faber. He wants to change the world. He wants to protect books and knowledge and meaning and substance. He calls himself a coward for being unable to protect them, but it’s his courage—and his willingness to act—that ultimately save Montag’s life and start to turn the tide of ignorance.

BAD GUY

Bad GIRL. Mildred Montag. Guy’s petty, small-minded wife. He wants to open her eyes to the oppression of ignorance. She just wants to watch TV.

GOOD GUY

Good GIRL. Clarisse McClellan. She picks flowers. She seeks friendships. She’s happy. Which is why she’s a social outcast. Clarisse opens Guy Montag’s eyes to the possibility of beauty and meaning in the world.

BAD GUY

Captain Beatty. He knows books. He manipulates what the books say to manipulate others. He tries to confuse and control Montag in a desperate attempt to maintain the status quo.

GREY GUY

Guy Montag. Third-generation fireman. Burns books for a living. Starts to hunt out meaning in the books he’s supposed to be burning.

He’s also the subject of Recap 5.