“We have everything we need to be happy, but we aren’t happy. Something’s

missing” (82) When thinking of happiness what comes to mind? What makes you

eternally happy? "If you don't want a man unhappy politically, don't give him two

sides to a question to worry him; give him one. Better yet, give him none. Let him

forget there is such a thing as war." (61) With some people it is a food or a person

that makes a person happy, with Montage, It is this very lack of options that leaves

Montag so unhappy. Books may be challenging, but the alternative is a brainless

void – hardly satisfying to the individual. Bradbury might be defining happiness in

Fahrenheit 451 as having a book, reading, and or words of wisdom.

Bradbury shows that having a book gives Montag the satisfaction to live. He

likes having a book to read and reading it whenever he wants. In the beginning

Clarise asks Montag “Are you happy” (10) technically questioning him and this is

where Montag realizes he is not truly happy. Montag then has a lot to say when

people judge books, “Don’t judge a book by its cover.” (155) In the beginning Montag

would burn books along with the other firemen. He made a judgment, just as most of

the characters did, that books are bad for you. Therefore, he judged a book by its

cover. In the middle of the story Montag starts to look beyond the covers' of books.

He finally realizes how wonderful a book can be and how much meaning they have

to life. At that point Montag learns not to judge a book by its cover but to truly look

at the lessons that come out of books. In conclusion, "Don't judge a book by its

cover," has a lot meaning because, it shows the troubles that Montag went through

when he judged/burned books that ended up making him truly happy.

The people of the society are scared to be happy, to have a say. The people of the

town don’t actually get what is going on in their lives. Faber says "So now do you see

why books are