Guy Montag is a fireman who is greatly influenced in Ray Bradbury's novel, Fahrenheit 451. The job of a fireman in this futuristic society is to burn down houses with books in them. Montag has always enjoyed his job, that is until Clarisse McClellan comes along. Clarisse is seventeen and crazy. At least, this is what her uncle, whom she gets many of her ideas about the world from, describes her as. Clarisse and Montag befriend each other quickly, and Clarisse's impact on Montag is enormous. Clarisse comes into Montag's life, and immediately begins to question his relationship with his wife, his career, and his happiness. Also, Clarisse shows Montag how to appreciate the simple things in life. She teaches him to care about other people and …show more content…
Clarisse tells Montag this, and it makes him wonder if anyone really does care. Montag realizes that he lives in a world of conceited people. He realizes that he does not really care about anyone, including his wife Mildred. People in his society don't think about others feelings when acting. From this, Montag learns the meaning of caring. He learns what a terrible place it is to live in, where no one cares about anyone but themselves. This only changes Montag for the better. At one point, Montag and the other firemen go to a house because a lady has books concealed in her home. The lady, not concerned about being burned to death, is determined to stay with her books. Montag is stunned by her decision, and cares very much about her safety. “Montag placed his hand on the woman's elbow. 'You can come with me'” (Bradbury 39) This is a turning point for Montag, in which he starts to care about everyone and their feelings. The first time Montag and Clarisse meet, Clarisse shows that she is very curious by questioning everything. Many of these questions insult Montag or make him angry. Some make him wonder and question things that he has always known. In the very first conversation Montag and Clarisse have, Clarisse asks “'Are you happy?'she said.” (Bradbury 10). At first, Montag thinks this is a stupid question. Then after he goes home and ponders this question, he realizes that he isn't happy at all. Clarisse also tells Montag of a time when
Because he asks Mildred where they met, and he takes time to think about where they met and but can't remember. Part one also shows Mildred someone who is so miserable that her only escape from the real world is by watching TV all day in her parlor room, she has also attempted suicide by overdosing on sleeping pills. The Author gives us a smart character named Clarisse, who is honesty, loves living her life, She is curious about other people, pays really good attention, is very social. Clarisse is almost like the opposite of Mildred who doesn't do much but watch tv and overdose. But Clarisse gets hit by a speeding car. Throughout the story so far Montag realizes society isn't all perfect, as many think that it is. What helps him discover this is his friendship with Clarisse and the old lady burning herself and her house. Montag finds a sense of interest to think he shows this by thinking about where him and Mildred first met he thought about and was curious enough to ask his wife, and by talking to Clarisse, talking to her helped make him think about the society he lives
In Fahrenheit 451, the main character is Guy Montag. Montag is a “firefighter” who burns books.Yes, I was thinking the same thing of why he was making fires and not putting them out. In this futuristic society they don’t read books or write at all. Instead, they drive very fast and watch a lot of Tv and listen to the radio on “seashell sets”. One day Montag meets a girl named Clarisse McClellan and she opens his eyes up about things. She is full of happiness and has a lot of knowledge for her age. A lot of events happen to Montag, his wife tried to commit suicide, a woman decides to be burned alive with her books, and Clarisse gets killed by a speeding car. He starts to really question things when a lady decides to be burned alive with her
As the book progresses Montag begins to question his everyday events and decisions making. On a walk he encountered a young girl, named Clarisse. Clarisse helps Montag realize just how happy he would be if he read a book and if he is currently happy. At first, Montag thinks that Clarisse isn't thinking straight and couldn't believe that thought had ever popped into the girl's brain. Until he begins to process the tough of reading one of the books that he burns
Clarisse show Montag that he is not in love anymore by rubbing a dandelion under his chin and it does not rub off on his chin. Clarisse says to him, ” what a shame, you’re not in love with anyone” (19). This make him start thinking about how much Mildred really means to him and discovered that they both do not remember where they met. Clarisse tells him how she has lived her life and that’s shows Montag how he can charge the way he lives his life. Montag is really the only one that will talk to Clarisse and he learns the difference between how he lives and how Clarisse
In Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451, Bradbury focuses on how society leans towards technology rather than the more important things in life. Guy Montag is a firefighter who is expected to burn books for a living.Through Clarisse Maclennan's death, Guy undergoes a transformation into a new character throughout the book and he ultimately wants to express the truth about society through his heroic actions.
After years of being married to someone that he can’t even remember when they met and being a fireman who burns books, Montag meets Clarisse. He is initially offended by her excitement for life and easy ability to
He begins reading the books that he has secretively concealed in his house, and his new found interest in reading starts to consume him. The curiosity that Montag shows, and the many questions that he has asks Fire Captain Beatty makes Beatty conscious of Montag’s sudden change and he begins to watch him intently. Montag’s ambition to learn how to understand books and to preserve them not only puts his house at risk, but also his life. Montag's wife Mildred doesn't want to put herself in harm's way; she takes off and sounds the alarm indicating that Montag has broken the rules of society. Montag teams up with other rebels who value books, outside of the city, and a war begins that will change everything.
After meeting Clarisse and after starting to think and ponder on the reasons why society is the way it is, his views start to change. He realizes that society is unhappy and since the only thing evidently missing from their society is books then they must hold the key to happiness. After he sees a woman burn herself along with her house and books, he starts to think that there must be something in books that they do not know about to make someone do such a drastic thing. He realizes that all the firemen, himself included, burn books in less than a minute when someone must have spent hours, days, months or even years thinking them up and writing them . Montag thinks that books may be able to help them not make the same mistakes they have been making in the past. He lives in a world that is constantly at war. War is declared every other day and no one seems to mind or to realize that such a thing is not right. Montag thinks that the knowledge in books might be enough to save them from themselves and help them find a different solution to their problems than declaring
Clarisse influenced Montag to start to think more, and to question his job of burning books more. She did this mainly in their initial interaction. Montag starts coming home off the subway and he starts walking to his house when he encounters Clarisse in the park. They have a discussion about themselves, and about life. Montag notices that Clarisse has a very unique way of thinking and how she interacts with him. Clarisse mentions that she does not go to the fun parks, or talk to the Parlor walls, and as a result of this has more time to critically evaluate issues. At the time, this sounded very peculiar to Montag, and got him thinking as well. As
Ray Bradbury’s novel, Fahrenheit 451 tells the story of a fireman named Guy Montag who, after realizing how unhappy he is in Bradbury’s dystopian society, begins questioning what the government wants him to believe. Montag exists in a world where firefighters are actually fire starters. Books are also extremely illegal, and if found inside one’s home, it and everything inside will be burned to the ground. Bradbury starts his story with Montag meeting a young girl named Clarisse McClellan, who gives Montag an entirely new perspective as to what kind of society he is living in. Montag continues to develop his relationship with Clarisse and he becomes progressively confused, until Clarisse mysteriously disappears.
Clarisse asked “[Montag] are you happy”, this made Montag question his happiness and realized he wasn’t happy at all (4). Montag took Clarisse’s question to heart and proved that the significance of the question impacted him to change his life. Montag “[couldn’t] remember where and when’ he and Mildred had met; proving that Mildred didn’t have a great amount of importance in his life (20). Montag not recalling how he had met his wife shows how much Mildred had meant to him. Clarisse made an impact on Montag enough for him to ask Mildred if “[she] had seen” Clarisse around (22). Montag was concerned about Clarisse, and had been interested in her appearance to ask his wife about
In Ray Bradbury’s futuristic novel Fahrenheit 451, Montag, the main character is influenced by one person who changes his life completely. Clarisse McClellan, Montag’s new next-door neighbor, introduces Montag into an alternate world where it was believed that firemen once saved houses from burning instead of starting fires. Clarisse is an odd seventeen-year-old with some very peculiar thoughts about society. She is not the only odd person in her family, her whole family, mom, dad, and uncle are all very odd. They stay up at night talking while all the other families are sleeping. Clarisse, the beautiful girl, introduces Montag to the world’s hidden beauty and meaning, through her innocent self and her curious nature. Through a couple of conversations
Clarisse asked Montag "are you happy" with his job that he had never given a second thought about (10). This ultimately lead to Montag not wanting to be a fireman, and burning Beatty. Clarisse also made him question things he never thought of like "why should you" making him think deeper about the situation (7). This caused Montag to start second guessing things and how they worked. In addition, Clarisse also asked Montag "do you read any books" which is one of the reasons he decided to read one (8). Montag didn't think about reading the books until then.
However, Montag starts changing when he starts to question things in ways he has never done before after his encounter with Clarisse. In their first meeting, Clarisse tells Montag that she had once heard that firemen used to put out fires instead of starting them and Montag laughs at this. Clarisse then says, “You laugh when I haven’t been funny and you answer right off. You never stop to think what I’ve asked you” (8). The people in this society don’t engage in real conversations and ultimately have no mind of their own. By saying this Clarisse challenges Montag to actually think about things. Clarisse also makes Montag question his own happiness in life when she asks him if he’s happy (10). Montag initially thinks that it’s a ridiculous question and he believes that he is obviously happy. However, this question effectively leaves Montag wondering about his contentment with life: “He was not happy” (12). Montag realizes that he is in fact not happy with his current life as a fireman and with his relationship with Mildred. Clarisse offers Montag a new perspective on life that he has never really considered. Montag at first was as brainwashed as the majority in the society, but thanks
After meeting Clarisse, Montag begins to question society. Clarisse is very straightforward and clear to Montag. He said that he can see himself in her eyes. "How rarely did other people's faces take of you and throw back to your own expression, your own innermost trembling thought?'' (Bradbury 11). She makes him aware that he never stops to think. He tells Mildred that Clarisse was ''the first person I can remember who looked straight at me as if I counted'' (Bradbury 72). Through his friendship with Clarisse McClellan, Montag recognizes how cruel society can be as opposed to the joys of nature in which he rarely experiences. When Clarisse makes