The second chapter is “The Sieve and the Sand.” This chapter was more interesting than the first because the story has developed some sort of progression from the beginning. There is a certain amount of depth to the story that allows it to make sense now. Montag has completely changed, and he is in an internal conflict with what he should do. He goes to see an old man he ran into a long time ago to talk to him. This man, Faber, was the first person he met that read books, and Montag knew that he would listen to him. Montag is now stuck with the idea that he wants change. The world is completely messed up. Montag says “We’ve started and won two atomic wars since 1990… I’ve heard rumors; the world is starving, but we’re well fed” (Bradbury, 73.) Montag suspects that he can learn how to change things from books. Faber says “Most of us can’t rush around, talk to everyone, know all the cities of the world, we haven’t time, money or that many friends… the only way the average chap will ever see ninety-nine per cent of them is in a book” (Bradbury, 86.) He also says that there are three things missing, and they do not need books to get them. The problem is that the people gave them up a long time ago of their own free will. Generations later the people do not know what it is like to have these things, so they do not know if they would prefer it. Faber and Montag are trying to find a way to make the people accept these things back in their lives. Meanwhile Montag is also struggling with Beatty’s vast knowledge. Beatty must have read a lot of books because he quotes books often. Faber and Beatty are similar, but they fight different causes. Whereas Faber appears to be like Montag where he has kept his revolutionary ideas, Beatty is like Montag if he read all the books and gave into the society they live in now. I do not know where the story is heading now, but I think that Montag is going to side with Faber.
Bradbury, Ray. Fahrenheit 451. New York: Ballantine, 2003. Print.
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