Montag and Clarisse in the Novel Fahrenheit 451

Individuals can change because of the impact of others. The book, “Fahrenheit 451” by Ray Bradbury was about a firefighter name Guy Montag. Montag does the inverse from what a standard firefighter does. He starts fires as opposed to putting them out. In Fahrenheit 451 books are not normal to see and in the event that somebody is seen reading a book, the firefighters burn their homes. Rather than reading books, their society watches a lot of TV and tunes into the radio that is attached to their ears.

Montag and Clarisse Conversation

One day Montag met a young teenage girl name,d Clarisse. Clarisse was an unusual girl that opened up Montag’s eyes. Montag believes that Clarisse was odd, however, she was odd in a good way. Once he met her he started questioning many things in society. Montag changes from being a book burning monster to an independent knowledge seeker due to the influences of Clarisse.

If people don’t have someone to influence them in a good way, they will most likely stay the way they are. Montag used to be like everyone else in his society until he meets Clarissa. He participated in whatever he was told to do and asked no questions. It was a pleasure to burn (Bradbury 3). Montag says that burning books is just what his job acquires him to do. He did not see that burning books was a bad thing. He just thought that people don’t want to read books when they have television and other things to do, so he would burn them instead.

Montag was not his own person, but instead, he was just doing what people told him to do. Clarisse is talking to Montag explaining to him how most people feel towards firemen. So many people are. Afraid of firemen, I mean. But you’re just a man after all (Bradbury 7). Clarisse finally breaks Montag that firemen are not good people because they burn books and people’s houses. Most people in their society are scared of firemen and don’t want to keep books around because they don’t want their houses to get burnt. Montag didn’t know what really books were, but after his conversion with Clarisse, it sparked some curiosity in Montag. People with influence from another’s experience living in a different way than before.

How Did Clarisse Influence Montag

Montag is constantly changing in the book from the social norm to his own person. The first point where Clarisse really influences him to change and question what is going on is when he is about to burn a house he sees a book. Montag had done nothing. His hand has done it all, with a brain of its own, with a conscience and a curiosity in each trembling finger had turned a thief (Bradbury 35). Montag finally acted on what he has been feeling since the talk with Clarisse. Without Clarisse filling his head with all of these questions he never would have stolen a book and he would still have been unhappy.

Montag changes the most out of all of the characters because he starts at being a follower then he eventually develops into a leader. Montag began walking and after a moment found that the others had fallen in behind him, going north (Bradbury 157). Montag never would have thought that he would be leading a group of people to start a rebellion to stop burning books. Clarisse is the main reason Montag is the person he is at the end of the book because she sparked curiosity in him. Montag was a totally different person from the beginning of the book to the end.

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