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We meet the main character, Montag, who is a firefighter. Of coarse firefighters aren't what they seem since they are the ones who set fires not put them out. We first meet him while he is setting fire to a library and we learn that Montag enjoys his job very much.
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On Montag's way home he meets a girl named Clarisse. She is a peculiar character in that she doesn't adhear to the social standards everyone else in their society follows. She subtally makes Montag realise that he isn't actually happy.
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After montag gets home he finds his wife mildred. She is doing the same thing she always does, but this time he aqlso finds an empty bottle of sleeping lozenges next to her. He then calls the medics and they get her all better.
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The morning after Mildred had her stomach pumped Montag asks her about it. Although Mildred didn't remember ever trying to commit suicide. Montag of course finds this strange.
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Montag runs into Clarisse out side and find that she is catching rain drops in her mouth. After she leaves Montag tries it as well. Montag and Clarisse run into eachother often and have intresting conversations that get Montag thinking about their society.
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Montag tries to touch the Mechanical Hound at the fire station but the hound growls and becomes quite fierce. This leads Montag to become curious about why it is that way and Beatty tells him that it only does or thinks what they want it to.
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Montag is thinking about what Clarise said and asks Beatty if firemen ever put out fires instead of create them. Montag is then reminded that Firemen of America were established in 1790 by Benjamin Franklin to burn English-influenced books.
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Montag and the rest of the firemen get called out to burn books that were stored up by an old woman. They explain to her what they are doing and she refuses to leave her books. This leads to her staying with them as they burn and even being the one to set the match.
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Montag manages to steal a book from the old woman house and bring it home with him. He hides it under his pillow so that it won't be found. Although Mildred finds it while tidying up.Although the captain is at their house when she finds it and she tries to draw attention to it. Montag yells at her to sit down all the while the captain sits there pretending not to have seen/heard anything.
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Montag finds out that clarise died from Beatty when he comes by to discuss what he saw last time they went out to burn books. Beatty isn't even sad that Clarisse died and even goes so far as to say its a good thing because she was strange.
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After the captain leaves Montag explains to Mildred that they will start reading the books he has collected over time so that they may find the reason for their unhappyness in its pages. Mildred is afriad of books but Montag wants her to learn how to be happy with him so she reluctanly agrees to 48 hours.
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Mildred gets bored from reading books and goes back to watching TV.
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Montag is unable to comprehend the books he is reading and calls an old english professor named Faber he knows. Faber thinks Montag is setting him up and doesn't help him. This leads Montag to go visit him.
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While on his way to visit Faber for help Montag takes the bus. Although the radio thats being listened to on the bus distracts Montag while he is trying to memorize passages from the book he is reading before he gives it to Beatty. The radio bugs him so much that he gets up and yells at it to be quiet and waves the book around. This scares everyone on the bus and they call a guard, but Montag gets off before he gets there.
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When Montag gets to Faber's house he shows him the book he brought so that Faber realises he isn't setting him up but genuinly wants to know.Also Montag realises that people are unwilling to accept the basic realities and unpleasant aspects of life.
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Faber tells Montag that people need quality information, the leisure to digest it, and the freedom to act on what they learn. Also that books allow the reader to put them down, giving one time to think and reason about the information they contain.
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Montag suggests planting books on firemen to discredit them watch them burn. Faber doesn’t agree with Montag that this wouldn't really fix their problem and that the firemen aren’t really necessary to suppress books because people stopped reading them even before they were burned. Faber then states that they need to be patient because theres a war coming that will eventually get rid of TV families.
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Montag forces Faber to help him by tearing out pages of the bible until he said yes then asks him to help make more copies of the book. Faber then says that he knows someone with a printing press who used to print his college newspaper.
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Montag also asks for help with Beatty and decides Montag decides to risk giving Beatty a substitute book. Faber agrees to see his printer friend.
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Montag withdraws money from his account to give to Faber and listens to reports over the radio that the country is mobilizing for war. Then goes home and finds that Mildred has two friends over. He tries to engage with them after he turns off the tv and shows them poetry and books.
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Montag reads to then "Dover Beach" which is sad and causes them to have a melt down and get mad at him for showing them such a horrible thing. He burns the book and while they are leaving he screams at them to think about there lives. He then finds mildred in their room burning the books one by one so he rhides them in the backyard.
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Montag gives Beatty the book and returns to the firestation. Although later they go off to burn sum books and end up at his house.
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They burn down Montags house
