Fahrenheit 451 and The Guest
Throughout several of the texts we have read, there has been a reoccurring theme of “home”. Most notably, this theme occurs in the story “The Guest” by Albert Camus. In “The Guest”, the main character, named only as “the schoolmaster”, feels obliged to remain in the schoolhouse where he lives, even after being asked by a military police to escort a fugitive to a prison in a nearby town. He refuses to carry out a legal duty that is expected of him to remain in a place that is “home” to him. This highly relates to the events that occur in the film adaptation of Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 directed by Francois Truffat. Throughout the film, there is a reoccurring emphasis put on homes. A majority of the events that take place in the film occur in homes. We only ever really see the main character, Montag, at either the fire station or at his home or the home of a person accused of owning books. It seems that all social interaction revolves around a television “community” called “The Family” that is only ever accessed in people’s homes. With all this being said, it seems that in the beginning of the film, Montag feels uncomfortable in his own home. His wife is always on some sort of drug and is completely obsessed with accessing “The Family”. Montag never participates in any of it. He never seems the slightest bit intrigued by anything until he reads a book for the first time. After this, Montag becomes completely obsessed with reading books of all kinds. In my opinion, it is these books that become “home” for Montag. The problem is that books are illegal in his society and it is his job to destroy all books. Montag ultimately chooses the books over his wife and his job, resulting in him eventually being wanted for murder and having to run away into the forest in search of the “book people”. Ultimately, both the schoolmaster and Montag choose their “homes” over their legal obligations. They both put their sense of belonging, that can only be provided by what is “home” to each character, over duties that society expects them to uphold.