Montag in 'Fahrenheit 451' transitions from pride in his fireman duties to seeking justice, truth, and knowledge as his motivations. In 'McTeague,' environmental factors and primal drives contribute to the main character's downward spiral from respectability to criminality.
Montag's motivations in 'Fahrenheit 451' are complex and multifaceted. Initially, Montag takes pride in his work as a fireman, the pride anchored in societal values that dictate the destruction of books and the suppression of knowledge. However, as he encounters different characters and situations, such as meeting Clarisse and discovering hidden books, he begins to experience a profound moral dilemma.
His motivations gradually shift towards a quest for knowledge, truth, and ultimately justice, as he realizes the oppressive nature of the society he has been serving. Montag's transformation is a key thematic element in the novel, exploring the capacity for change in the face of authoritarianism.
In 'McTeague' by Frank Norris, the protagonist's descent from a working-class dentist to a criminal fugitive is attributed to a combination of environmental forces and inherent primal drives. The novel scrutinizes the influence of social circumstances and individual desires on human behavior, encapsulating themes of deterministic naturalism prominent in Norris's writing. McTeague's tragic trajectory demonstrates how external conditions and personal impulses can steer someone away from moral rectitude.