Fahrenheit 451 Video Summary

set in the near future of America in a Midwestern town Fahrenheit 451 tells the story of fireman Guy Montag who proudly burns illegal books and the homes of the books owners however as threat of atomic destruction looms over his town he begins to question the value of his profession throughout the novel Montag struggles with his existence and is placed in an oppressive society in which censorship is the norm maaan takes resistance grows stronger after developing a friendship with a 17-year old neighbor Clarisse McClellan she is curious about the world and rejects the technology on which it now depends including the frequency of gun violence and speeding cars soon montigue realizes he is unhappy and no longer loves his wife Mildred who refuses to face reality the antithesis of Clarice Mildred immerses herself in interactive television and seashell radio and is addicted to tranquilizers one night Montag comes home to find that Mildred has overdosed on sleeping pills the paramedics arrived to pump Mildred stomach and give her a complete transfusion with various technological instruments Domenic's explained nonchalantly that they performed these same procedures many times each night and that overdoses are frequent the next morning Mildred robotically goes about her daily routine not recalling the previous night's episode and refusing to discuss it frustrated with a society that seems unconcerned about an impending atomic war Montag wonders why books are perceived to be so dangerous and why some people are so loyal to them what power lies in books driven by an increasing unease and curiosity montiek stills a book from a collection he is sent to destroy at the scene of the burning he is shaken when the owner of the books an older woman refuses to leave her home instead she sets fire to her kerosene soaked house and is herself destroyed by the flames witnessing the woman's dedication to her ideals Montag wonders if happiness can be found in the forbidden literature he is required to burn Montag returns home feeling ill as he relives the woman's horrific death in his mind over the past 10 years he had thought he was serving society as a fireman but now he realizes he is an instrument of destruction that night in a discussion with Mildred Montag learns that his friend Clarice was killed by a speeding car more than a week earlier he falls asleep feeling sicker with his stolen book hidden beneath his pillow the next day Montag refuses to attend work claiming illness his boss captain Beatty visits him and appears to be aware of Montag's internal struggle he suspects that Montag may be hiding books Bettie lectures him about the offensiveness of books and the superiority of their current society where homogeneity is mandated stories are diluted and political narratives are reduced to a simple soundbite distributed by mass media he dismisses their former Society which encouraged free thought and differing opinions meanwhile Mildred organizes the bedroom and tries to pull away monde takes pillow when he won't let her she reaches beneath it and finds the hidden book Mildred is astonished but keeps silent when Beatty departs Montek retrieves some twenty books that he has stolen over the years and begins to read unsure is what to do next he recalls meeting a retired professor Faber a year earlier and discussing with him the value of ideas he visits Faber who at first fears that he will be the fireman's next victim however as the two men grow to trust one another Faber becomes a mentor to Montag showing insights and conspiring with him to make copies of Montag's books Faber gives Mon take a small two-way radio of his own invention to insert into his ear so that the two men will always be in communication at home Montag becomes disgusted with his wife and her friends as they sit idly watching television and gossiping they lack any awareness of the impending atomic war as Faber's objections streamed through the secret radio and mon takes ear Montag engages the women in a debate about family and politics next he reads to them from a book of poetry Mildred's friends react emotionally to the reading not understanding the source of their sadness the firemen are called to an alarm and Montague is dismayed to discover that it is his home house that is to be burned his wife Mildred reported him he then burns his home and possessions by himself room by room as ordered by Beatty Beatty chides Montag and as the two men scuffle Faber's radio is knocked from his ear when Beatty remarks that both Montag and his friend will be dealt with severely Montag threatens Beatty with the flamethrower when Beatty keeps at it Monty Clips the switch and kills his boss at once the mechanical hound a computerised attack dog that can track down any human being by scent pursues Montag the helm stabs him in the leg with a propane needle but Montag annihilates it with the flamethrower before it can do more damage faber provides refuge for montigue as both a second mechanical hound and the authorities pursue him Faber provides him with old clothes to mask his scent and thus impede the Hound VIN Faber directs Montag to go to the river and float downstream to the train tracks where he will hopefully find a hobo camp of intellectual outlaws who can help him Montag departs then floats down the river successfully avoiding the hound he finds the group of former riders clergymen and academics by the riverbank the leader of the group an author named Granger welcomes Montag offering him a concoction to change his ph in order to throw the hound off his scent the men then used a portable television to watch the police chase incited by mom takes escape they are shocked to see that the hound has killed another man as the announcer proclaims Montag is dead the police not wanting to lose the confidence of the public had set the Hound after an innocent man after losing Montague scent Grainger tells Montague how the men in his camp have memorized literary works so that someday when it is safe to do so they can again print books recreating them from memory when atomic bombs destroyed the city the men are able to survive in their wilderness camp then set out to sift through the rubble of the destroyed town and begin anew they plan to foster a society where books and free thought can flourish you

Channel: GradeSaver

Views: 221,261

Rating: 4.9295411 out of 5

Keywords: Fahrenheit 451, novel, video summary, fireman Guy Montag, illegal books, atomic destruction, Montag, oppressive society, Clarisse McClellan, interactive television, seashell radio, addicted to tranquilizers, overdosed, atomic war, stolen book, Captain Beatty, homogeneity, Mildred Montag, two-way radio, television, dover beach, flamethrower, Mechanical Hound, Granger, hobo camp, intellectual outlaws, pH oncoction, memorized books, free society, free thought, burn books

Id: yZg6bqDHz6k

Length: 7min 50sec (470 seconds)

Published: Wed Mar 06 2019