In the novel Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, the main character’s, Guy, epiphanies begin when he meets Clarisse and realizes he isn’t happy. Guy has never really questioned the society he lives in until he meets Clarisse. Clarisse is a very peculiar girl who at a very beginning is the complete opposite to Guy and here is where the phrase “opposites attract” is shown. Clarisse thinks outside the box and Guy is basically manipulated by the government being a fireman and thinking that books are something bad and that people should not read them or even have them at home. It all started with a simple question, “are you happy?” (Bradbury 10). It’s the first time someone asks him that and it’s the first time he starts to question if he’s actually …show more content…
At the same time he starts to question the society in which he lives in. When Guy gets home he sees that Mildred tried to kill herself but since they live in a society extremely controlled by the government they immediately send robot doctors to take out all the pills of her system and give her a medicine so she won’t remember any of the reasons why she tried to commit suicide or even that she tried to commit suicide. The government wants the people to think they live in a perfect Utopia when they actually don’t. That same night Guy starts to think about everything that happened that day starting with his conversation with Clarisse, why Mildred tried to commit suicide? Why didn’t firemen now put out fires instead of starting them? “I don’t know anything any more” (Bradbury 18). It’s not the last time Clarisse makes Guy question himself. Clarisse is a really curious girl and due that she asks Guy many questions, which have a huge impact on him throughout the novel. Clarisse makes Guy question if he really loved his wife, which he later on finds out he doesn’t, and why was he a fireman. “He felt his body divide itself into a hotness and a coldness, a
The novel Fahrenheit 451, written by Ray Bradbury is a fascinating story which talks about a dystopian world which is always evolutionizing, specially the characters which never “alight”. Guy Montag, the main character of this story is in a constant dilemma. “Be or not to be?” Montag, living in his point of view a normal life, till one day when he met this girl Clarisse. The one that changed his life by making him think in a different way. He feels the necessity to make changes, he can't live like he use to after Clarisse. Since his real eyes, realize the real lies his world hide. He goes through several changes while the development of this story. Bradbury develops the theme of change and transformation by the way Montag discovers each time more and more about his situation which makes him change his thoughts and transform as a person as well.
Guy montag, a future fireman who sets fires, and enjoys it. This society cant read books, it's illegal, all books are burned seemingly to everyone’s enjoyment, including guy. Largely defining his character as finding a fire-fueled smile that never leaves his face. Clarisse, a girl living next to guy, changes his mind with simple questions he’s never heard, “are you in love?’’ No one asks him a personal question, he doesn't know the answer. With books being burned for their knowledge, authenticity is scarce and people are feed what they “need” to hear, substance-less information no one cares to change or question because they don't know how, just hop in the truck and hit 90 mph for an hour if something bothers
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
Throughout the novel Fahrenheit 451, Guy Montag goes from a relatively "typical" fireman to a man on the run. In the story, Guy meets his seventeen year old neighbor Clarisse McClellan, she questions Montag about his life now and the life he has always lived. Near the start of the book Clarisse asks Montag, "Are you happy?" Clarisse's question influenced Montag in many ways, causing him to wonder about his life. After speaking with Clarisse, Montag starts thinking about his wife, Mildred, and whether they really love each other or not. He leaves her to go home and find out for sure. Once he is inside he asks Mildred if she remembers where they met for the first time. Neither Mildred nor Montag remembers where they met at for the first
Guy Montag, on the other hand, is a fireman who starts fires, rather than stops them, in order to burn books, which are banned. Anyone caught with books are reported and their house and sometimes the people themselves are burned to the ground. People in his society don’t read books, enjoy nature, spend time by themselves, think independently, or have meaningful conversations. Guy is struggling with the meaninglessness of his life. His wife doesn’t seem to care and when he meets a seventeen year old girl named, Clarisse McClellan it opens up his eyes to the emptiness in his life. After this Montag becomes overwhelmed because of the stash of books in his house that he stole while on the job. Beatty, the fire chief, says that it’s normal for every fireman to go through a stage of wondering what books have to offer. Beatty gives Montag the night to see if the books have anything valuable in them, and to return them in the morning to be burned.
Clarisse is an outdoor person and “crazy’, coming from her words (Bradbury 02). Clarisse enjoys dandelions, rain, and autumn leaves.She’s not into television and violence. “What incredible power of identification the girl had; she was like the eager watcher of a marionette show, anticipating each flicker of an eyelid, each gesture of his hand, each flick of a finger, the moment before it began.” (Bradbury 04) Clarisse is a confident character, she was not something that you could miss. Her presence was to be always acknowledged. Bradbury's point of view for Fahrenheit 451, the world is grey-dark. Government watching, people in their own home, too caught up with technology, and not very nature like. If Clarisse is an outdoor person, it's really hard for her to fit in
If there is one thing that can be said about the relationship between Guy and Mildred Montag, it is that no matter how their relationship changes, they seem to be a constant burden for one another. In addition, any happiness or good attitude that they may have had towards each other is gone and could quite possibly remain that way. Although there are slight positive advances in their relationship, they are ultimately feeding a hungry and unwavering depression that is so common in the society depicted in the
Mildred is Guy’s wife which loves to watch TV and hates to express herself. She tried to commit suicide and can't even acknowledge it. Montag says, “‘You took all the pills in your bottle last night.’ Mildred responds quickly “Oh I wouldn't do that’”(19). Masking your pain will get you far away from happiness. You need to acknowledge and change for the better. Since Mildred never wanted to talk about her relationship with Guy. This makes Guy angry and can not clear his mind about something they do not talk about as well as Mildred, senselessly that is a part of her pain. It will not go away till she confronts it. Guy says, “No one listens anymore. I can't talk to the walls because they’re yelling at me. I just need someone to hear what I have to say, it’ll make sense. I just want to learn how to read”(14). This goes to show that he has been distracted by the fact that she is obviously miserable and is crying out for help with her attempt of suicide. Montag is realising that the books might make him closer to his happiness.
Guy Montag is a man that cannot think for himself and enjoys following the government’s orders. The novel introduces him with one of his thoughts, “It was a pleasure to burn. It was a special pleasure to see things eaten, to see things blackened and changed” (Bradbury 1). On his way home from work one day, Guy meets a young girl named Clarisse McClellan. She’s the only person who questions his actions and challenges him to start thinking about why he burns books. Clarisse asks Montag if he ever reads the books that he burns, Montag laughs and says, “That’s against the law!” (Bradbury 5). Montag has been so brainwashed and ignorant about burning books, but Clarisse gives him new ideas by continuing to create doubts in his mind. She talks to Montag about the firemen from the past and how they were different then they are now. Clarisse says to Montag, “Is it true that long ago
People like to believe that the idea of conformity versus individuality is as clear as black and white. It is either side with society and conform or retain individuality and go against the norms. When it comes down to it, individuality and conformity are not foreign concepts. We see the idea executed in everyday life. In his novel, Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury reveals that individuality and conformity is not strictly two sides, but rather, a spectrum with many views in between. Bradbury expands on the theme of conformity versus individuality in society through his characters Guy Montag, Clarisse McClellan, and Captain Beatty.
Clarisse makes Guy Montag open his mind up to new things. Clarisse asks Guy Montag a question that is very simple yet very deep. The question she asks him is simply “Are you happy?” This question inspires Guy to think about his life and how he can change it. Once Montag gets home he finds his wife Mildred looking lifeless, his wife had tried to commit suicide. It made him think more about Clarisse’s question of “Are you happy?” The next morning when Montag and Mildred had awoke, Mildred did not remember her attempted suicide. His wife’s attempted suicide made him think more about his life and the events of his life so far. Montag tries to understand why Clarisse questions the ways of their society and acts the way she does. Montag does not understand why Clarisse asks herself why. Montag begins to question the society he lives in because of Clarisse’s question. Montag ask a coworker about what firemen use to do in their job in the past. His fireman coworkers tell him to remember the rule book and that they were given the job they do now for a reason. The firehouse gets a call to go burn down another house that contains books, it is Mrs. Black’s house. When they arrive the light of the fire had already started from the burning of her house and books. Mrs. Black decided to stay in her house with her burning books and die. Montag wonders why
Shown in Fahrenheit 451, "You're one of the few who put up with me. That's why I think it's so strange you're a fireman, it just doesn't seem right for you, somehow." This quote shows what Clarisse thinks about Guy, and says even though he is a firefighter and burns books he still puts up with her. Also shown is that she is hinting that she doesn’t like the idea of burning books and is confused why they are friends. Clarisse has always been a very happy person and believes that books have a huge significance in the world and will fight for their place in the
Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451, is set in a dystopian society. The government’s main belief is happiness is the result of everyone being equal. The government believes that certain books should be forbidden because those books bring false, individual ideas, which make people unhappy. Guy Montag is just like every other fireman: he does not read the books, just burns them. Then one day, he meets Clarisse, a young girl, that challenges his viewpoint of life. After several conversations with her, he begins to question the government’s ideals. He starts stealing and reading the forbidden books, and he begins to understand the purpose of those books. Montag then meets up with an old friend, and they make plans to start a revolution by
Pages 1-32 - Guy Montag is a fireman at the fire department. Unlike regular firefighters, Guy and his co-workers are the ones to start fires. Guy is contempt with his life, at least until he meets Clarisse McClellan who changes his outlook on his current state of living. Clarisse makes Guy think deeper into what is going on around him. He realizes that he in fact is not happy with his wife Mildred, his job, or the way society acts.
Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 is a book established on a disordered culture in which the government gets along with the people via traditionalism. Conformity is the method of matching beliefs and attitudes. Characters such as Beatty, Mildred, and others obey the government since that is how their culture exists. The government destroys any type of individuality a person has and does not tolerate any type of education since they will come up with a way to reprimand an individual. As it is shown at the beginning of the story, individuality outlines the dissimilarities of an individual by creating an exceptional personality of a person such as the one Clarisse McClellan disclosed to Montag.