Guy Montag Logic: Memes

Guy Montag, the protagonist of the novel Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, lives in a dystopian future society, where all books are burned. In the exposition of the novel, Guy Montag is the ‘normal’. He has a wife, house and a job as a fireman. However, they are not the average fireman who stop flames, they ignited them. The memes below, depict key points in the exposition, from his society, relationship with his wife and also his job as a fireman.

My first meme, “Bad Luck Brian,” describes the society that Montag lives in. “My uncle drove slowly on highway once. He drove forty miles an hour and they jailed him for two days,” (13). In their society, “Cars started rushing by so quickly they had to stretch the advertising out so it would last,” (13).  Not only can you get arrested for driving slowly, you can also be arrested for many quite odd things from being a pedestrian to the possession  of books.

My second meme, “Tough Sponge-bob,” depicts Montag’s Wife, Mildred.  “The small crystal bottle of sleeping tablets which earlier today had been filled with thirty capsules and which now lay uncapped and empty in the light of the tiny flare,” (17).  As emergency responders arrive, they slide down a tube into Mildred stomach, drain out the poison and replace her old blood with new blood.  The next morning, Mildred wakes up and remembers nothing. ” What? did we have a wild party or something? Feel like I’ve a hangover,” (23).   Montag tries to suggest that “Maybe you took two pills and forgot and took two more,” (23), however, Mildred denies everything, and said she would never do such a thing in a billion years.

My third meme, “Bad Luck Brian,” describes the relationship Montag and his wife Mildred have.  “How long you figure before we save up and get a fourth wall torn out and a fourth wall-TV put in? It only two thousands dollars… That’s one-third of my yearly pay,” (24).  Montag always thinks of Mildred, however, Mildred just wants more parlor walls to be put into their house and suggests Montag should consider her sometimes.

My fourth meme, “The Awesome Social Awkward Penguin,” shows one of the key events of the exposition. Montag is brought to a house that has been reported for having books, just as a average day being a fireman, however, this time the owner refuses to leave and the house, and the fireman are left to set the house on fire with the women inside.  Montag felt guilty for ending the life of that women, however, Mildred thought differently. ” I hate her. She’s got you going and next thing you know we’ll be out, no house, no job, nothing,” (54).

My last meme, “Schrute Facts,” or Guy Montag Logic, describes what Montag thinks reading is like. After stealing books from the women’s house that they had burnt, Montag wants to learn why firemen burn books, however, the way Montag thinks a book is read is completely wrong. He thinks that when you read, the information all comes to you, and there is no thinking involved.

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Commercialism and Mother's Day

Commercialism. From Super Bowl Commercials to Time Square Billboards,      commercialism or the “excessive emphasis on profit” has the ability to influence the choices that I have made and also many others around the world. In the novel Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, commercialism is brought to a whole new level, where commercialism can erode or over power spiritual values. “He’s a regular peppermint stick now, all sugar crystal and saccharine when he isn’t making veiled references to certain commercial products that every worshiper absolutely needs,” (84). In this part of the novel, Montag comes to Faber’s house with one book that could be the last in the whole western hemisphere. The Bible.  In the novel, “Christ is one of the ‘family’ now. I often wonder if God recognizes His own son the way we’ve dressed him up, or is it dressed him down,” (83)? In Fahrenheit 451, Christ has become an advertising tool rather than a religious figure.  Christ is only used for the materialistic purposes that the society values.”Once books appealed to a few people, here, there everywhere. They could afford to be different. The world was rommy. But then the world got full of eyes and elbows and mouths. Double, triple, quadruple population. Films and radios, magazines, books leveled down to a sort of paste-pudding norm, (58)”.  With the media controlling the population like puppets, the media could influence all the choices that the people in that society make.

The theme, commercialism can erode or over power spiritual values, is not only present in Fahrenheit 451, however, it is also in many of our lives. As you know Mother’s Day was just recently on Sunday. However, Mother’s Day has become more of a commercial holiday rather than a day where you appreciate your mom. Mother’s Day has become a manufactured holiday, just like Valentines Day, where it is more about spending than emotion. Just as in the novel Fahrenheit 451, the theme, commercialism can erode or overpower the true spiritual values, is present in Mother’s Day. Instead of appreciating all that your mother does for you, commercialism causes Mother’s Day spiritual value to become more about spending than appreciating. Even the creator of Mother’s Day, Anna Jarvis hated commercialism on Mother’s Day. When Mother’s Day became an official holiday department stores jumped on the bandwagon and began selling Mother’s Day cards and special gifts. In an article published by the New York Post, Jarvis was furious because “Mother’s Day is a personal, family and memorial day. It’s a celebration for sons and daughters; a thanks and offering for the blessings of good homes.” With Mother’s Day over, I hope I and others will be able to learn the true meaning of Mother’s Day and be grateful for all that our mom does for us.