Characterization of Montag

After reading the first section of Fahrenheit 451, I am starting to see how all the characters interact with each other. The character that has stood out the most to me is Montag. Montag is a fire fighter who starts fires instead of putting them out. In this society, books are illegal to have. So, Montag's job is to burn these books. Montag feels as if it is his duty to burn books for his community but he doesn't like to. I have noticed that every house he has needed to go to to burn these books have never been happy with what he was doing. It causes house fires sometimes, arguing, and destruction to the city. Something Montag says is; "What- was it always like this? The fire house, our work?" He wonders if the fire department ever helped the city instead of buring it down.

Montag wears a salamander on his shirt to show he is a fireman and the number 451 because thats the temperature that paper burns. Montag is a caring man who wants the best for everybody. He meets a 17 year old girl named Clarisse and they loved to spend time together. Something she said is, "You're one of the few that sticks up for me, that's why I think it's weird that you are a fire fighter. Most people are surprised about Montag's character because in this town, fireman are people who burn and take away things from people and if they choose this to be their job, usually they wouldn't be so kind and caring. Montag and his wife, Mildred, don't always get along either. Near the end of the first part, Montag pulls out old books that he had been hiding and keeping because the might come to good use. Mildred was astonished that he still had these because it is against the law and she believes they have no meaning. She wants them to be burned so there is not greater consequences later.