Why do the books that allegedly promote happiness not help Montag? How does Beatty’s speech lead Montag to read the books that he has stolen at the end of “The Hearth and the Salamander”?

Question

Fahrenheit 451

Why do the books that allegedly promote happiness not help Montag? How does Beatty’s speech lead Montag to read the books that he has stolen at the end of “The Hearth and the Salamander”?

During Beatty’s long speech to Montag, he tells Montag that, above all, “people want to be happy.” He insists that the work that the firemen do—burning books that promote differences of opinion or that might offend one group or another—is all done in the name of promoting happiness. The books that people are still permitted to read, comic books and the like, are legal because they promote happiness. Yet Montag is not happy.

Asked by Colleen H #803331 on 6/25/2018 12:57 PM

Last updated by jill d #170087 on 6/25/2018 1:28 PM

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Answered by jill d #170087 on 6/25/2018 1:28 PM

The book that are supposed to make Montag happy do not contain the knowledge he craves. Montag wants to understand what he cannot have. He wants to understand the purpose of his job.

Beatty's speech serves not to deter Montag, but rather to make him more curious. He wants to understand why he isn't happy, and he believes the answers are in the books he has hidden away. Because of this, he is determined to read them and look for the answer to his unhappiness...... to find something that might be valuable, not only for themselves, but for others as well.

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Fahrenheit 451

Answers 1

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