Clarisse Innocence In Guy Montag's World

Clarisse is a teenage girl that Montag meets early on in the book and is the first character to question the censorship. The importance of her perspective is that it is a prime example of someone who does not conform to the trend of censorship, is open-minded, and a free thinker that eventually inspires others to do the same. Montag meets Clarisse in the very beginning of the novel and she instantly spikes his curiosity. While walking from work one day, Clarisse asks Montag about the history of firefighters, explains that many people are afraid of them, but that she is not. Soon after, she goes on to ask whether they have always burned books and asks “Do you ever read any of the books you burn?” (Bradbury, 5). Montag quickly responds and continues to go on justifying his job without question, giving the audience the impression that he wholeheartedly supports what he does

Clarisse obviously believes that something is up with Guy Montag and wanted to trigger his mind. This is the point where Guy Montag begins to rethink

Clarisse McClellan is different. Or as depicted in the book, Fahrenheit 451, written by Ray Bradbury, she is an “odd” one. She was not different, but for the humanity in their world, she is. People were more isolated, they were more liberated, and advanced. Individuals conventionally follows with the status quo, the rules, and the knowledge that their society has to offer to them. But no one usually questions it, unlike Clarisse.

Clarisse McClellan is a girl who Montag meets and brings to his attention that the world is much more complex than others might believe. McClellan accuses Montag of neglecting the world around him and Bradbury uses her as the representation of nature. Montag and Mclellan learn more about each other when they take a walk together. During this walk, the two characters have a small argument on walking in the rain. McClellan starts off the conversation by saying, “I'm still crazy. The rain feels good. I love to walk in it” (Bradbury _). Bradbury uses this disagreement to show how Clarisse is truly alive by making McClellan apart of the motif of

Clarisse helps Montag look around him and see everything, from the smallest snowflake to the biggest tree. Montag never really thinks about what is happening in his life, or why it seems he never shows much emotion towards anything. Clarisse teaches Montag to look around and to pay attention to what is really important in life, just not what his society tells him. Even though I believe Clarisse was the reason for Montag’s major metamorphosis, I believe that there were two additional individuals that had a role to play in Montag’s expedition to find answers to fill the void in his life.

Clarisse affected Montag by showing him how to be curious and adventurous and teaching Montag to try new things. Montag being a fireman doesn't know what he is doing for his society, by him burning books everyone's knowledge goes down. Clarisse is not for society, she is more free minded then Montag "'I rarely watch the 'parlor walls' or go to races or Fun Parks. So I've lots of time for crazy thoughts, I guess.'"(9). She is against watching the parlor and doing stuff society wants you to do. Montag will be affected by this and learn from this, he will later be against watching the parlor. Clarisse's attitude to life is good too, it seems like she is the light in a dark room. She also always has something interesting to say this makes Montag want to be around her "'Let me come in. I won't say anything. I just want to listen. What is it you're saying?'" (17)Montag wants hear what she has to say for there is always something interesting to be heard when she is talking.

In addition, the unidentified woman had a tremendous impact on Montag. She stayed in her burning house and burned herself with her books and this was such a powerful moment in the novel. Meeting Clarisse, then watching the woman burn in her house with her books, changes Montag perspective that makes him think differently about society and the meaning of life. To start, “ You can stop counting”(18) taking out a match after she was being told to get out of the house because she was found with books. The old woman says this before she sets her house on fire with her inside it.

Clarisse is one of the characters who influenced Montag by showing her own world. Clarisse remind Montag the fireman’s real job. Clarisse said ‘”strange. I heard once that a long time ago houses used to burn by accident and they needed firemen to stop the flames”’ (pg 8). Clarisse is the one of character who read a book in conflict read society. She confused Montag on

statement by Clarisse makes Montag think of a time when he was a child during

The lightness of Clariss is used to signal the knowledge, she contains, to the reader. First off, the reader can detect Clarisse’s intellect when she asks, “[i]s it true that long ago firemen used to put fires out instead of going to start them?” (Bradbury 6). Her intellect can be discerned because even Montag, a fireman who should know the answer to this, states that houses have “always been fireproof” (Bradbury 6). Furthermore, Clarisse continues to state facts that Montag did not know or could not “remember if he had known” it or not (Bradbury 7).

A set of characters in Fahrenheit 451 that are most different are Mildred Montag and Clarisse McClellan. For example, the most obvious difference between them is Mildred wanting to ignore the world and it’s problems by always wearing seashells to tune it out ( Bradbury 16). Clarisse is the opposite and is so aware of the problems and wanting some solution, that the government kills her. According to Bradbury, Beatty claimed, “‘She was a timebomb’” (52). It was only a matter of time before Clarisse did something to challenge society, even if it was small, whereas Mildred was a good representation of the general population who obeyed. Both of them were changed by society, where Mildred was “...like a snow covered island upon which rain may fall,

As the conversation carries on between Clarisse and Montag, she begins to notice that Montag is different. She claims “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. No one has time anymore for anyone else. You 're one of the few who put up with me...He felt his body divide itself into a hotness and a coldness, a softness and a hardness, a trembling and a not trembling, the two halves grinding one upon the other” (Bradbury 11). Clarisse points out the unique qualities to Montag because whenever they talk, Montag reacts by looking at her or objects that she is talking about. She reveals that the average people cannot comprehend the concept of socializing or reflect on thoughts thus they relapse to a state of violence as a resort to stop thinking. Clarisse doesn’t persuade Montag to think like her, but influence Montag to think outside the box and increase his curiosity. Clarisse’s character going against the common social conformity activates a rare phenomenon inside Montag’s mind. Montag was given two paths, hence the cold and hot or soft and hard. One Path guides Montag down the path of individuality and the other path leads him to the normal society life. Clarisse was an individual who opens the doors to Montag to let him

Her face, turned to him now, was fragile milk crystal with a soft and constant light in it” (Bradbury, 7). Montag is describing Clarisse with white and bright colors, representing the purity and knowledge inside of her. In addition, throughout the novel, Bradbury uses dark colors to illustrate the rejection of knowledge by society, which constantly wants intellectuals to be in the dark. This is because knowledge is dangerous in their time. Towards the end of the book, when Montag meets the past professors, writers, and college graduates: “He was looking for a brightness, a resolve, a triumph over tomorrow that hardly seemed to be there.

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

First of all, Clarisse has a major impact on the development of Guy Montag. Clarisse is a young high school girl who enjoys nature. She happens to be neighbours with Guy Montag and his wife, Mildred.