Fahrenheit 451: Suicide

One of the most memorable and chilling events in the novel is when on the job Montag and the other firemen encounter an elderly woman who has been hoarding and attempting to protect novels. The firemen attempt to drag her away and send her to a mental hospital like all the others, and then afterward burn the books. The woman is so vehemently opposed to this that she conceals a match from the firemen and after they spray the house with kerosene she breaks free from them reveals the match and in an act of self-immolation martyrdom reminiscent of that of Thich Quang Du'C she burns herself and the house and books. Self-Immolation to me has always been a terrifying and bone chilling form of suicide that has always powerfully affected me. The picture of the Buddhist monk burning himself alive is always moving to me. I was greatly affected by the image that Bradbury painted so vividly when he wrote the section on the woman burning herself alive. Guy Montag was also heavily affected by this event and afterward asked for a sick leave from the job so he could recover from seeing such a jarring act. He is puzzled why for worthless books anyone would give their life in an act of rebellion or to attempt to protect them. The worth of books was never realized by Montag until this point, and it is at this time that he begins to hoard books. Before the woman burns herself Montag is looking through one of the books he finds and accidentally reads part of him which causes him to hide it for himself so that he may study and read it later. Witnessing this act along with the thoughts and and conversations he has with Clarisse cause him to being a large character progression which ends with him attempting to protect books along with the exiles outside of the city limits. This event is arguably one of the most important happenings of the novel along with Montag meeting Clarisse.