When you think of utopia what do you envision? Do you think of this magnificent garden with hummingbirds and sunshine? Do you visualize a beach where the water is crystal clear and the wind just lightly wisps through your hair? How about a refreshing society where everyone gets along and there is no conflict? Ray Bradbury does a phenomenal job of giving the reader the exact opposite in his novel Fahrenheit 451. The reader is introduced to a dystopian society in which an individual’s information, independent thought, and freedoms are restricted. These people live day to day in a dehumanized state and are oppressed by societal control. One individual, Guy Montag, gets the pleaser of meeting a fresh breath of air; a soul that has not yet been destroyed. Clarisse McClellan is a particular girl whose views and ideas are everything but what they should be. Even Montag’s first impression of her was that she was, “an odd one” (6). She is a clear thinker that finds simplicity and true beauty in nature. One day when speaking to Montag she asked if he had, “ever smelled old leaves” …show more content…
Later in the novel, the reader understands the connection that Montag and Clarisse grew. Montag shared that Clarisse made him, “…feel very old and very much like a father” (26). Montag then shares how he always wanted a family. Mildred on the other hand never wanted any children. Clarisse has taken a daughterly position in the eyes of Montag. He shared with the reader, “I feel like I’ve known you so many years” (26). If someone close to Montag had never died, he would have never been able to truly set apart from the dystopian world he lived in. This fictional death made such an impact in Montag. This incident was the fundamental ignition that set off Montag’s ticking time bomb. This death was necessary for Montag to realize the true poison that his society laid in the lives of their
Clarisse McClellan shows a great example of individuality in the novel. She “liked to smell things and look at things, and sometimes stay up all night, walking and watching the sun rise” (Bradbury 5). Clarisse’s question and curiosity showed how different she was than the others. She was a great thinker and Montag thought this made her strange. While she was talking to Montag, she tells him “You 're not like the others. I 've seen a few; I know. When I talk, you look at me. When I said something about the moon, you looked at the moon, last night. The others would never do that. The others would walk off and leave me talking. Or threaten me”, she saw something in Montag that showed how he was willing to be like her, different (Bradbury
Firstly, Montag is influenced by Clarisse McClellan because she is the first person he has met that is not like the rest of the society. Clarisse is a young 17 year old girl that Montag quickly becomes very fond of. Clarisse influences Montag by the way she questioned Montag, the way she admires nature, and her death. Clarisse first influenced Montag by the way she began questioning him often. Her questions would make him think for himself unlike the rest of society. “Then she seemed to remember something and came back to look at him with wonder and curiosity. “Are you happy?” she said. “Am I what?” he cried. But she was gone- running in the moonlight” (Bradbury, 10). Clarisse was one of the only people that Montag had ever met that had ever asked him that. This question that she asked him influenced him because he thinks about, and Montag asks himself tha...
Clarisse McClellan walks with Montag on his trips home and is one month short of being a 17-year-old girl.[notes 3][24] She is an unusual sort of person in the bookless, hedonistic society: outgoing, naturally cheerful, unorthodox, and intuitive. She is unpopular among peers and disliked by teachers for asking "why" instead of "how" and focusing on nature rather than on technology. A few days after their first meeting, she disappears without any explanation; Mildred tells Montag (and Captain Beatty
Clarisse shares with Montag that her entire family was almost killed by the government for knowing too much. The government said we were a threat to society and needed to be eliminated. Clarisse’s Uncle was very educated and knew the things they had to do in order to live. They then escaped in the night, but the government did not seem to care. The government then tried to cover it up by saying that she got hit by a car. Clarisse’s family then made it to the same intellects that Montag had been with, and they directed them to the city. Their family then reached the city, where Montag is now. They realized that books were allowed and accepted in that society, and have been living there for the ever since. About three hours go by of Clarisse pouring her brain out to Montag, and finally they look around and see that it is nighttime. The two of them gaze at the stars and let out a small
Clarisse is someone I would not imagine to have such a big effect on Montag. To me she seems to be out of Montag's comfort zone. Clarisse always has questions and wants to learn something. There was never a moment Clarisse was not wondering or questioning something. An example of Clarisse being curious is when she first meets Montag and says "Do you mind if I ask? How long have you worked at being a fireman?"(5). Clarisse begins asking many questions about being a fireman as soon as she gets to know Montag a little better(6). Clarisse is always the type of girl to wants to learn something new. Clarisse is very social and will like to meet anyone. She has no clue who Montag is besides her neighbor but she still starts talking to him, and makes a friendship out of it(3). Clarisse likes to be outside with nature and enjoys life. If Clarisse was a lot older her and Montag would be great together. Clarisse and Montag have so much in common.
With pride, Montag carries out just that. Until one day he meets a young girl of seventeen who changes his mind about everything. Clarisse McClellan knows many things that Montag has never considered. For instance, she recites poetry, the ideas of great philosophers, and most importantly, facts about the world’s history. When she first speaks to Montag of these illicit things, he is taken aback and begins to question all that he has been told.
In the novel, Fahrenheit 451, people have TVs the size of walls, the people can obtain cars that go at alarming speeds and students do not have to worry about being assigned chapters to read for homework. Technology is at an all-time high and even controversial topics have been avoided. It may seem that there are no downsides to this world, although in the following scenes the real atrocities of this masked dystopian society are revealed. The U.S. Constitution plays a large role in granting citizens rights although, in Fahrenheit 451, their version of granted rights is twisted. Different amendments that are violated throughout the novel are featured in three scenes. The first scene consists of a woman being limited expression
Bradbury describes Clarisse as a teenage girl who is a genuine lover of life. The novel describes that she is a nature lover and is very outgoing. Bradbury has Clarisse contradict Montag's wife Mildred. Clarisse was the main reason Montag starting questioning his happiness and books. Bradbury adds Clarisse’s character to the novel, so her words can be help Montag examine his current life decisions. By her doing this Montag suddenly comes to see some of the missing pieces of his life. Ray Bradbury uses his power of words through Clarisse’s character by having her be different from everyone else in the
Clarisse McClellan, a unique outcast whose personality traits you could say has influenced Montag to question his life. During one night after work Montag has a little run in with this unique individual into which his transformation initiates. Montag and Clarisse share a conversation into which becomes a life changing experience for Montag, they talked about life and how it’s so different from the times long ago. However though towards the end of this fascinating conversation Clarisse asked Montag one last question right before taking off, she asked Montag this, “Are you happy?”(Bradbury 7). Montag hesitantly states that yes he was happy right when she took off. Later on that night we find out Montag’s wife Mildred had overdosed on ...
... ideas in books and understand them. Before this Montag never questioned the way he lives, he was blinded by all the distractions. The role that Clarisse plays in the book enables Montag to break free of the ignorance.
Clarisse may be the consciousness of Montag because her questions drove Montag to his profound thoughts as they kept on having a conversation. Clarisse was a very peculiar girl that she has a very special feature which not everybody has. In my opinion, Clarisse is the igniter or a factor of Montag’s enlightenment in the way she made Montag to question his society and life.
The night after Montag’s wife, Mildred overdosed, she tells him, “The same girl. McClellan. McClellan. Run over by a car. Four days ago.” (47). Clarisse is supposedly dead four days before, hit by a car. The young McClellan was most likely silenced by the government to stop the threat of making their task of controlling the people of the society more complicated. She knows exactly what the government is doing to the society, but she still stood up to what she believes in, even after knowing the consequences that are most likely to follow. During Beatty’s unexpected visit to the Montag’s home, he told them how Clarisse was being watched before her death due to the divergent perspectives she has on the society, and how there were multiple false alarms set on her home in Chicago. The McClellan family was being watched and most likely have known it, but they did not have any intentions of changing the bad reputation they have with the government. It shows the courageousness the their whole family by staying strong with their beliefs, even knowing that it could lead to a family member’s death. Clarisse’s sacrifice to her belief shows her valiant personality. The bravery of Clarisse allowed the book to be seen in multiple
Montag is influenced by Clarisse a lot. And, her impact on him is tremendous. She questions his whole life, teaches him to appreciate the simple things, and to care about other people and their feelings. “You're peculiar, you're aggravating, yet you're easy to forgive..”(Bradbury 23) Through all Clarisse's questioning, Montag knows that she is trying to help him. Because of her help and impact on him, Montag is changed forever.
Clarisse is a young, but intelligent girl that, unlike many children in the novel, was raised with discipline. “I was spanked when i needed it, years ago.” Clarisse said to Montag referring to how she was raised. Kids used to be loving and caring, but now it’s not like that anymore. The world is a dystopia and everyone has lost hope, but Clarisse, her family, a group of hobos who want to join the fight for books, and a secret team of Harvard graduates. Clarisse met a man named Montag, who is a firefighter that burns books down along with the house they were in if the owner of the books refuses to reveal their location. Clarisse walked with Montag, right after they had met, and told him of the many things life has to offer that he doesn’t see because he is caught up in burning books for a living. She caught Montag’s emotions and this is what ultimately ended up with Montag deciding he was going to stop burning books and even help the Harvard graduates memorize and spread the words and knowledge of the books that remain. Clarisse filled Montag with empathy and this changed Montag’s view of life
Clarisse is Montag’s first mentor in his journey; she is the one who first opens his eyes to the world around him, as well as asking the ultimate question “Are you happy?” (7) To which Montag cried “Am I what?” He never gave whether he was actually, truly happy a real, legitimate thought in his entire life. He just woke up, ate breakfast, went to work, ate lunch, went home, ate dinner, and went to sleep; and all with a big grin fixed on his face. But now, after a bit of consideration he came to the realization that “He was not happy…. He wore his happiness like a mask and the girl had run off across the lawn with the mask a...