At the next fire, what does Montag take?

In Part One, Montag arrives at a scene, where a woman refuses to surrender her books as the firemen surround her home. When Montag enters her home, he discovers her illegal stash of novels, which falls onto his shoulders as the firemen proceed to burn the woman's library. While the woman is screaming accusations at the firemen, Montag happens to read a brief, intriguing sentence from an open book. Montag then instinctually grabs a random book and shoves it into his jacket without anybody noticing. Bradbury writes,

Montag had done nothing. His hand had done it all, his hand, with a brain of its own, with a conscience and a curiosity in each trembling finger, had turned thief...Now, it plunged the book back under his arm, pressed it tight to sweating armpit, rushed out empty, with a magician's flourish! (17).

Later on, it is revealed that Montag has been stealing books from various "crime scenes," which illustrates his desire to engage in intellectual pursuits. Montag ends up hiding the books that he has stolen inside the ventilator of his home.


When Montag goes to set fire to Mrs. Blake's house, he takes one of her books that he finds in the attic. What is really interesting about this particular moment is how Montag seems unable to stop himself from taking the book. In fact, as we see in the description, it is as though Montag's hand has a mind of its own:

His hand has done it all, his hand, with a brain of its own, with a conscience and a curiosity in each trembling finger, had turned thief.

This act, therefore, symbolizes Montag's inner curiosity and his desire to know more about books and education. As a fireman, he is supposed to be the very embodiment of censorship, but the fact that he cannot control his own hand shows that he possesses a natural, internal sense of rebellion.
The stealing of this book from Mrs. Blake's house marks a turning point in the novel because it sets him on the path to complete rebellion in which he tries to destroy the fireman system from within.

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