Fahrenheit 451

The movie takes place sometime in the near future in a society where all books are banned. Books are believed to lead people to individual thinking and anti-social behavior, which is strongly discouraged. The main character is a Fireman by the name of Montag. In this future, Firemen do not put out fires, they start them. They have the sole charge of burning books wherever they may be found. Montag has been with the force for five years and is up for promotion. He is an upstanding citizen and is viewed admirably by his peers. The movie Fahrenheit 451 is named for which the temperature at which books burn.

Montag is married to a woman by the name of Linda who is very shut out from the real world. They live in a modern above average house where a large television is the center point of there media. The television is interactive and Linda actually described it as being part of her 'Family'.

During a trip home, Montag meets Clarise, a young willowy woman whom places a seed in Montag's mind. She does this by captivating him by her flirtatious gestures and questioning him about his job. In this, she asks him if he is happy burning books and if he has ever read any of the books he burned.

Montag's curiosity grows and he seeks out Clarise by first having lunch with her. Meanwhile Montag's wife Linda becomes more and more controlled by the television and in turn becoming anti-social. She then overdoses on depressants and Paramedics come and revive her. Montag begins to distance himself from her.

He begins to take the books from homes he has gone to burn. He reads them and is intrigued by what he finds. At one point he responds to a home with an older woman whom has hidden hundreds of books within her large house. When the Firemen get ready to burn the books the woman refuses to leave. Montag pleads with her to save herself and she instead lights the kerosene, killing herself with the books. Montag is disturbed by what he has seen and eventually begins to read more.