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Guy Montag isn’t an obvious hero. But that’s probably what Ray Bradbury intended when he wrote Fahrenheit 451. After all, Bradbury set out to criticize those who aren’t willing to devote time to critical thought. And Montag is a hero who requires just that.

Video Transcription:

Guy Montag is a good guy. At least, he tries to be. But he’s as complicated of a hero as you’ll ever meet. More on that in a moment.

Most of the characters in Fahrenheit 451 are black and white. Good guys and bad guys. And how fitting. No one in Bradbury’s society does much thinking, and understanding the characters in this story doesn’t take much thinking, either.

Except for Guy Montag, the main character. He’s all about shades of grey.

By the time Fahrenheit 451 starts, Montag has already started his transformation. He’s been squirreling away books. He’s started questioning a society that doesn’t support free thought.

But that doesn’t mean that Montag makes all the right choices. He still has trouble thinking for himself—and is easily influenced both by the bad guys (like Beatty) and the good guys (like Faber).

Sometimes he doesn’t even know why he does things. How many times during the story does he remark that he feels like his hands are acting for themselves?

But in spite of these flaws, Montag is actually the perfect hero for this story. After all, what better way to encourage critical thought than with a hero who requires just that.