Montag's Motivation In Fahrenheit 451

Imagine being in a society, where one is not allowed to have their own thoughts and ideas. Crazy, right? Well, it happens in Fahrenheit 451. The novel is written by Ray Bradbury and it occurs in a community where the right of freedom of speech is confiscated by their government. Individuals in the society are banned from the right to own books. Firefighters, instead of putting out fires, set fires. Montag, a thirty-year-old firefighter never questioned the pleasure of the joy of watching books burn until he met a young woman who told him of a past when people were not afraid. In this hectic story, there is one significant character known by the name of, Clarisse. The young, seventeen-year-old woman is an imperative character due to her motivations

towards Montag, her bravery of displaying individualism, and her representation of a free-thinking society in a conformed community.
Clarisse is an imperative character due to her motivations towards Montag.

During Clarisse and Montag’s first encountering, Clarisse asks, “Are you happy?” (Bradbury 10). The question Clarisse asked Montag motivates him to doubt about the meaning of his life and what he does as a firefighter. Clarisse’s interrogation revealed the absence of love, pleasure, and contentment in his life. Walking home after meeting Clarisse, Montag could not stop the inquiry of what he has done in the last ten years of being a fireman and why he does it. It encourages Montag to start his journey to find explanations of why the government wants their people to conform and the reasons behind burning books. This novel would not be able to function without the motivations of Clarisse towards

Montag.
Clarisse is an important character due to her bravery of displaying individualism.

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

views.
Clarisse is a significant character due to her representation of a free-thinking society in a conformed community. One out of the seven consecutive days Montag encountered Clarisse, she asks him, “Have you ever smelled old leaves? Don’t they smell like cinnamon?” (29). While the other civilians of the society find leisure in watching television on a daily base, Clarisse is out in nature questioning about leaves. This shows the inability of the government to control her beliefs and thoughts. Among all the others in her society, she represents their opposite. Additionally, Clarisse is considered “anti-social” due to the different views she has on the society. Instead of doing what is considered “normal,” such as talking to the parlor walls, Clarisse finds entertainment in questioning about the world around her. In a society full of the same thoughts and ideas, an individual like Clarisse is mandatory to make a difference.
Clarisse plays a vital role because she motivates Montag, displays individualism, and represents a free-thinking society in a conformed community. Without Clarisse as a character in the novel, it would not have been able to function correctly. Some may say that Clarisse is not an important character because she died in the first 30 pages of the novel, but that is incorrect. Clarisse plays a more crucial role to aid Montag and to form the overall lesson of the novel. Now imagine living in a society where basic rights are confiscated, does it not sound exactly like being cheated on?