"Courage is a kind of Salvation"

Each night the stories retold until burned into your memory. Unaware of its strength, because of how ancient it has become. You’re always prepared to be recalled to recite the passages for the final time, but for now passing them down secretively amongst one another to keep our literature alive. As long as I'm living the pages are safe, because no one can take what I know away from me. Somewhere inside I doubt that my knowledge will be protected, but I believe that somewhere I will be saved. The moments that are unknown you will fear, but the sacrifices you make will save you in the future.

Fear that lies hidden in the shadows of Guy Montag's past, and forces him to question the world and its moments to come. Forces the scars of Guy's past to become noticeable. Becoming scared and unhappy with his life, and frightened of the distopic fairytale vision that awaits him he begins searching for answers. Clarisse begins to show him the truth of his life, and slowly fear creeps into his mind. “But he knew his mouth had only moved to say hello, and then when she [Clarisse] seemed hypnotized by the salamander on his arm and the phoenix disc on his chest." The phoenix is a symbol of Montag as a loner about to travel on an adventure of rebirth as he questions his world, and the actuality of his job. Montag is terrified of his future, because he regrets his past and fears how it will affect his future.

The guilt builds his fear terrifying Montag even more. In the beginning of the novel Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury Montag says, "So it was the hand that started it all…his hand, with a brain of its own, with a conscience and a curiosity in each trembling finger, had turned thief… he could feel the poison working up his wrist and soon through his arms". He begins feeling guilty for what he has done, causing the death of an innocent woman. “They sat there looking out the front of the great Salamander as they turned a corner and went silently on” the salamander symbolizes the fire truck, and in this case Montag deals with the actual fire he helped start and the internal conflict or "fire" of the woman burning, and is terrified of the outcome of his future.

Fear has become a recurring factor in his life, until now. When Montag finally looks within himself to understand he cannot live life fearing the moments ahead or you might as well not live life at all. Montag takes his situation and turns his life around. He feels he needs to prove to himself that his past may have already been done, but his future is still up to him. He can release the poison from his body, and become himself again. Upon realizing this he risks everything he has for the existence of literature letting all the fear he has go. His sacrifices through running and hiding saved him in the end. Once finally reaching his destination across the river, and finding others like him who have memorized several different books. When the bomb exploded killing everyone, Montag was saved. His sacrifices he made saved him in his future.

"Courage is a kind of salvation" a quote said by Plato describes Montag well. Montag courageously got over his fears, and risked everything for the life of literature. Therefore salvation saved him in his end. You can’t let fear control your futures outcome. When your courageous salvation will save you in your future making all you risked worth it.