Editor's Choice
On which page of Fahrenheit 451 is the following quote found?
"I don't know. We have everything we need to be happy, but we aren't happy. Something's missing. I looked around. The only thing I positively knew was gone was the books I'd burned in ten or twelve years. So I thought books might help."
Quick answer:
The quote from Fahrenheit 451 is found on different pages depending on the edition. In the eBook used for reference, it appears on page 39. However, in the 2003 Simon and Schuster edition available on Google Books, the quote is on page 78. Note that page numbers can vary due to factors such as publisher, typesetting, print size, and the use of abridged or ebook editions.
In part two the sieve and the sand, Montag remembered an event he had with Faber, an old man he met at the city park. The old man hid something and tried to run but Montag stopped him and they sat down to talk. Montag later found out that Faber was an English professor who worked at a liberal arts college and had a mastery of the language and literature. After their encounter Faber gives Montag his address thinking that he may need it to report him. Montag had stolen a copy of the Bible and had to turn it over to the captain but before he did he tried to make a copy of it in his memory. He later visited Faber at his house with the book to Faber’s amazement. Montag wanted Faber to teach him to understand what he read and it is at this point that...
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Montag explains to Faber his reasons for wanting to read and understand (thus appears the quote in question). Faber afterwards informed him that it is not the books that he really needs but the knowledge they contain.
The phrase can be found on page 39 going by the eBook used and referenced.
There are many different editions of Fahrenheit 451, so the page number will depends on publisher, typesetting, print size, and many other factors. In addition, there are abridged copies (such as Reader's Digest editions) and ebook editions, some of which have no page numbers to allow for different screen sizes and software.
In Google Books, the available copy is the 2003 Simon and Schuster edition, scanned for preview. In this edition, the quote above appears on page 78, during the scene where Montag visits Faber and tries to convince him that they could print more books to replace the ones that are being burned. The quote is spoken by Montag, as he tries to figure out why his previously-enjoyable life feels so empty and meaningless; he realizes that the only thing that has changed is that he has burned books, removing them from his life entirely.
References
How does the conflict in Fahrenheit 451 evolve through the quote about happiness and books?
We have everything we need to be happy, but we aren't happy. Something's missing. I looked around. The only thing I positively knew was gone was the books I'd burned in ten or twelve years. So I thought books might help.
After several incidents in his recent experience, including the apparent death of Clarisse, Montag is so unsettled with his society that he feels things must change. He tells Faber,
Nobody listens anymore. I can't talk to the walls because they're yelling at me. I can't talk to my wife; she listens to the walls. I just want someone to hear what I have to say. And maybe if I talk long enough, it'll make sense. And I want you to teach me to understand what I read.
He follows these desperate remarks with the statements in your question. Montag feels that books are the missing element that will bring meaning and connection to his superficial and inattentive society.
Faber replies by telling him that books aren't magic and that he can find what he's missing by looking for three things: quality of ideas, the leisure to really think things through, and the conviction of taking action.
Together, these three things create the conflict necessary to drive the rest of the novel. Montag realizes that his life is near-meaningless and that he must take action to change his course. He thus becomes intent on saving literature, forcing others to listen to his ideas, and examining his society from a new perspective. Of course, individualism in thought is not promoted or protected in his world, and he takes great risks to attempt to change the way his world operates; this creates direct conflict with Beatty, Mildred, and the Hound.
When Montag seeks Faber's advice about the texts he has read, Montag begins to lament his situation. When Faber asks Montag why he is so shaken up, Montag says,
"I don't know. We have everything we need to be happy, but we aren't happy. Something's missing. I looked around. The only thing I positively knew was gone was the books I'd burned in ten or twelve years. So I thought books might help" (Bradbury 78).
Faber then explains to Montag that Montag wasn't simply craving books as physical objects, but rather the books' contents. Faber elaborates by telling Montag that books provide insight into the quality of life in a detailed, fresh manner. He says books provided readers with leisure time to examine life and search for truth. Faber also comments that the third necessary thing books provided was "the right to carry out actions based on what we learn from the interaction of the first two" (Bradbury 81). After hearing Faber explain the importance of preserving life experiences in literature, Montag decides it is worth taking action. The conflict evolves from Montag's decision to defy society and continue his search for truth in literature. Montag is clearly unhappy about his current situation and vows to change the direction of his life. Faber agrees to join the cause and provides Montag with a two-way communication device. Soon after, Montag proceeds to read poetry to Mildred and her friends, confront Captain Beatty, and become an enemy of the state.