Solitary and loneliness. Although they may seem similar, these two words are quite different. One definition of solitude is someone who is content to be alone. The other is loneliness, which is someone who is unable to have company. Guy Montag’s or Leonard Mead’s cases are both unusual because they have different views on life than most people in their society. They believed that there was more than just television and radios 24 hours a day. This mentality not only kept them apart from their loved ones, but also made their lives more difficult. Fahrenheit 451 & The Pedestrian are two stories where main characters feel isolated by their society. However, they both share a feeling of being alone. Montag is a happy person who loves his job and feels fulfilled. He doesn’t have any problems with his life. Clarisse is the only person that makes him question everything. Montag’s “love” for his wife and the books he is burning are just a few of the reasons he has to question the world. Montag will find himself in many situations along the way, unable to find any answers. It is at such moments that Montag asks Mildred, his spouse, if they can remember how they first met. Montag is unable to answer the question with a bland answer of “I don’t really know” and “It doesn’t matter”(P40). He then realizes that maybe their love was not real. His downfall soon follows. Because of his sudden love for reading, Montag loses his wife, and Beatty becomes his enemy. His status changes as a criminal. Montag ended up becoming a different person because of his love for books. He sometimes walks alone on nights with no one else. It is very frustrating, considering that the city where he lives has approximately three million residents. This is because the reader will not see a single person, despite the fact that they have been able to catch glimpses of them all. Mead’s observation proves this fact when he says that all houses except his have their lights turned off. Only the lights emanating from their TV screens are visible through dimly lit houses. He continues to walk nightly, when an officer stops him and asks him questions about his personal life. One question stands out: “Are we married, Mr. Mead?” Although it may seem straightforward, it can be difficult to understand. However, if we consider the world he lives within, we can see that marriage is not meant to be a loving and intimate relationship. Leonard seems to be the only member of his society that acknowledges the lack in human interactions. This is what sets him apart. Similarities between the stories are that both stories are set in the distant future. The main character has a perspective that is different from the rest of the society. Fahrenheit 451 is the story of Montag and his quest to understand the importance of books. Montag ends up unhappy at work and in his personal life. As society requires perfection, it did little to help. If anyone were to break the law, they would be fired without any questions. Leonard, The Pedestrian feels a certain discomfort because nothing is interesting in his life. Everyone locks themselves in their homes to keep their lives a secret. To escape the “dark”, he takes frequent walks outside to get some relief from his suffering. Both stories have one thing in common: the public is not encouraged to question the status quo or think outside the box.
