Social Differences In Ray Bradbury's 'Fahrenheit 451'

Being blind does not always mean you can not see. Thoughtlessly swimming with the social current can cause someone to miss out on lifes important matters. In Ray Bradbury’s spine chillingly realistic novel, Fahrenheit 451, the audience gets a glimpse of a dystopian society ran by unintelligence and ignorance. Clarisse McClellan communicates how openly rejecting social norms can open one’s eyes to things others may not see. Clarisse is aware that the common discussions in their society are insignificant and lack actual depth. While Guy Montag walks with his neighbor and friend, Clarisse McClellan, she explains to him why the government does not allow her to continue schooling because of what they categorize her as. She states, “I’m antisocial,

She does not need the screens of a TV or the adrenaline of violence to inspire and enlighten her. Montag, who is yet to open his mind completely, infers he would not enjoy this. Montag in this situation represents how the majority of the society would not be able to participate an activity like this. Whereas Clarisse finds happiness in the world itself because she knows there is more to life than just electronics and barbarity. Montag also explains how he has never tried to enjoy nature, meaning before meeting Clarisse he had accepted the fact his interests would be nearly the same as everyone else. While Clarisse talks to Montag she brings up the things he has not seen or known about nature, even though she has been alive for a considerably shorter time. Saying, “Bet I know something else you don’t. There’s dew on the grass in the morning.’ ‘And if you look’-she nodded at the sky-’There’s a man in the moon”(Bradbury 13). Clarisse has been brought up to notice the tiny aspects of life and be creative with them. She demonstrates how she is “crazy” by justifying the moon’s faces. Clarisse is instead not crazy, but mindful and unique. She knows how to think for herself and also make light of her surrounding world, like making stories of the man on the moon. She accomplishes these types of things with her copious time to think. To really understand life and what others may see you have to be

She asks him if he is happy. Later reminded of the topic he thinks, “ Of course I’m happy. What does she think? I’m Not? He asked the quiet rooms.”(Bradbury 14). Clarisse can tell from her limited information on Montag that he is not living to his full potential. She sees a spark in him that no one else has. When he responds to her question, specifying he’s in a quiet room. It symbolizes not only the emptiness in his life, but what that vast gap is from. The lack of real human interaction. He thinks to a quiet room because his wife, Mildred can not think for herself and instead does not put her relationship with Montag to any importance. Clarisse knows this and wonders if or how he could still be happy. Later Montag and his wife, Mildred, are reading the felonious books finally out places out of storage, Mildren brings up that a topic she knows a lot about. Herself, claiming it’s possibly even her favorite. Reminded of Clarisse, Montag states, “But Clarisse favorite subject wasn’t herself. It was everyone else, and me. She was the first person in a good many years I’ve really liked. She was the first person I can remember who looked straight at me as if I counted”(Bradbury 74). Guy Montag subconsciously explains why the bond between the unlikely companions grew so strong so fast by comparing his selfish wife and Clarisse who is aware of how to properly build a friendship. The key being