There are basically two main conflicts in the novel Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. The first conflict is the external conflict between Guy Montag and Captain Beatty. Their conflict starts when Captain Beatty stops by Montag's house to confront Montag about the book he stole from the old lady's house before it was burned. It continues on throughout the novel until their final confrontation near the end of the novel. Beatty brings Montag out on a call and they end up at Montag's house. Beatty gives Montag a flame thrower and tells him to burn his books. "I want you to do this job all by your lonesome, Montag. Not with kerosene and a match, but piecework with a flame thrower. Your house, your cleanup" (Bradbury 116). Montag burns his books and his house around them. The power of the flames and the anger against Beatty building up inside Montag erupts and he turns the fire on Beatty. "And then he was a shrieking blaze, a jumping, sprawling gibbering mannikin, no longer human or known, all writhing flame on the lawn as Montag shot one continuous pulse of liquid fire on him." (Bradbury 119). Beatty knew that Montag had stolen that first book, and tried to convince Montag to just stop there. Montag was already to far immersed into the secretive world of books to listen to him.
The second conflict is an internal on inside Montag's mind. From first meeting Professor Faber before the events of the novel even took place to meeting the strange girl across the street: Clarisse; Montag begins to question his moral obligation to his job. He steals a book on the job and then he reveals he has a secret stash of books in his house. Montag always questioned why he does his job but he never acted on it, stealing the Bible finally pushed him to the point of no return. Montag sets off on a chain of events that changes his life forever.
Bradbury, Ray. Fahrenheit 451. New York: Del Rey Book, 1991. Print.
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