Happiness shown throughout the book Fahrenheit 451

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Abstract
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury is the story of a man who experiences a paradigm shift regarding the true source of happiness in life. Throughout the novel, the portrayal of happiness is in line with Montage’s transformation and portrayed with real-life examples. Montage is living in a world in which books are forbidden since contemplation they entail is believed to be the source of unhappiness. In the beginning, Montage relates happiness to burning books and takes pleasure in this job. After meeting Clarisse, his concepts alter, and he realizes that he is wearing a mask of happiness. Faber resolves his confusions and makes him learn that true happiness could be attained by learning significant experiences of life from quality books. In the end, Montage takes pleasure in musing about nature based on the knowledge he attained from books, hence, reading books become his source of happiness.
Keywords: happiness, portrayal, transformation, paradigm shift, real-life examples.
Portrayal of Happiness in Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
Humans’ emotions are deeply connected with their rationalization of the concepts of life and when these concepts change then their emotions change as well. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury is the story of a man who experiences a paradigm shift in his life concepts, and the changing sources of his happiness portray this transformation.
The protagonist of Fahrenheit 451 is Guy Montage who works as a fireman in a world where the job of the fireman is burning books.

In the start of the story, he finds happiness in this job and feels “special pleasure to see things eaten, to see things blackened and changed” (Bradbury 1). However, a girl named Clarisse McClellan makes him see that his happiness is nothing but a mask of pretension. Even in the world of stern rules, she manages to retain her ability to enjoy moments of intimacy and peace in which people enjoy each other company and solace. In his discomfort, Montage starts stealing books and hiding them in his house as he thinks that he can get the answer to his unexplainable question in books.
Hiding and reading books is a sin in this world and the motivation behind this rule is another perception of happiness in the novel. The world in which Montage lives, conformity and mindlessness are believed as happiness and harmony by all citizens (Patai 43). Beatty explains Clarisse’s death to Montage by telling “she didn’t want to know how a thing was done, but why” (Bradbury 57). According to him, this attitude is against happiness since worrying about “two sides to a question” and seeking reasons make people troubled and consequently unhappy (Bradbury 58). He assures Montage that “we stand against the small tide of those who want to make everyone unhappy with conflicting theory and thought” (Bradbury 58). Hence, Beatty makes it clear that in this world happiness is synonymous to ignorance.
A paradigm shift occurs in Montage’s outlook after meeting Faber who helps him in grasping the true meaning of happiness. He tells that books are important and beneficial for people since they have a quality that “means texture” with pores (Bradbury 79). His analogy between the texture and quality highlights that through the pores of books one can learn the momentous experiences of life. This comprehension makes Montage muse about everything around him and experiences the happiness that arises from the depth of his sole.
In Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451, the portrayal of happiness throughout the novel is in accordance with the transformation of Montage’s character. Happiness is portrayed with real-life examples as initially, he relates happiness with burning books but at the end of the novel reading books become his source of happiness.

Works Cited
Bradbury, Ray. Fahrenheit 451: A Novel. Simon and Schuster, 2012.
Patai, Daphne. “Ray Bradbury and the Assault on Free Thought.” Society, vol. 50, no. 1,
2013, pp. 41-47. ProQuest, https://search.proquest.com/docview/1270351151