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1. 
   mrs-campbell Teacher
   High School - 11th Grade

   eNotes Editor

   Consider what Montag really does for a living. He destroys people's lives; he burns their homes, heralds their removal from society, and takes away everything that they knew and loved.  This is not something to take lightly.  Montag will never be able to wash off the responsibility of what he has done to people's lives.  He can never wash off the guilt of what he has done to others.  Later in the book, an old lady, Mrs. Blake, chooses to perish in the flames rather than be removed; this weighs heavily on him.  He is so distraught and tormented by guilt that he becomes physically sick at the thought of her dying in her house, and that he was the one that lit the match.  So, he is not able to wash off the guilt of what he has done.  It will serve as a constant reminder of how his society got to that point, and will hopefully propel him to change for the good.

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   Posted by mrs-campbell on Thursday April 23, 2009 at 12:23 PM
   
   

2. 
   churro1990 Student
   High School - 12th Grade

   That you can never wash away your sins. Only make them seem less obvious to other people.

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   Posted by churro1990 on Friday April 24, 2009 at 9:05 AM