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How can Existentialism be applied to Fahrenheit 451?

Existentialism posits that individuals in an apparently meaningless world must search for meaning by forming themselves out of decisions made through their own free will. In Fahrenheit 451, Montag begins becoming aware of the harsh, cruel and alienating nature of the society he lives in through his friendship with Clarisse and experience watching a woman burn to death with her books, and decides to make choices using his own values, rather than the morals of the society he exists in. Montag creates himself by forming relationships and making decisions, such as reading books, through his own free will within a hostile society. Much of the action in Fahrenheit 451 is due to the decisions that Montag makes, and existentialism emphasizes the freedom of choice and lack of essential human nature that would allow one to form themselves through autonomous decisions at odds with the values of their social context.

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