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The idea of individualism
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Fahrenheit 451 is a novel that was written based on a dystopian society. It begins to explain how society copes with the government through conformity. Most of the characters in this story, for example: Mildred, Beatty, and the rest, start to conform to the government because it is the culture they had grown up in. Individuality is not something in this society because it adds unneeded conflict between the characters. The government tries to rid of the individuality it may have. Individuality was shown in the beginning quite well by using Clarisse McClellan and Montag. Clarisse McClellan shows her individuality quite clearly, more towards Montag. After Montag has been living off conformity, he decided to start questioning the world and ends …show more content…
Clarisse McClellan shows a great example of individuality in the novel. She “liked to smell things and look at things, and sometimes stay up all night, walking and watching the sun rise” (Bradbury 5). Clarisse’s question and curiosity showed how different she was than the others. She was a great thinker and Montag thought this made her strange. While she was talking to Montag, she tells him “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”, she saw something in Montag that showed how he was willing to be like her, different (Bradbury …show more content…
His choice of becoming into an individual himself changes him into a completely different person. As the book gets closer to ending, Montag ends up meeting up with professor Faber. Professor Faber is one of the outcasts because of everything he knows. Montag asked him for help because he started to become interested in reading books. Montag explains to Faber “Nobody listens any more. I can’t talk to the walls because they’re yelling at me. I can’t talk to my wife; she listens to the walls”, Montag started to feel different from the others because society started to move him away from his old actions (Bradbury 78). Also in the beginning, Clarisse asks Montag about the smell of kerosine. This part started to foreshadow Montag as an individual and thinking for himself. Montag would be characterized as the protagonist of this novel. Clarisse’s way of thinking was the reason that mostly influenced Montag to change into an individualist. Her personality made him want to be like Clarisse. As we get start to close in on identifying Montag’s individuality, he lets it all out when he talks to Beatty. Montag started to defend Clarisse from Beatty and said, “She saw everything. She didn’t do anything to anyone. She just let them alone” (Bradbury 108). This being said from Montag, it emphasizes that Clarisse was being herself, an individual who only wanted to see the world different without harm. Other people saw her as a threat
The first event that results in Montag becoming a dynamic character is his conversations with Clarisse McClellan. She is seventeen, and people consider her insane and anti-social. She is considered anti-social, because she is talkative and expressive. In Bradbury’s made up world, the meaning of social is staring at the parlor walls (large TV screens), and having no thought at all. Clarisse is very different from the rest: “I rarely watch the ‘parlor walls’ or go to races or Fun Parks. So I’ve lots of time for crazy thoughts, I guess. Have you seen the two-hundred-foot-long billboards in the country beyond town? Did you know that once the billboards were only twenty feet long? But cars started rushing by so quickly they even had to stretch the advertising out so it would last” (pg.7).Clarisse’s enthusiastic and cheerful disposition lightens Montag’s attitude, making him a more optimistic person. He is not so closed-minded anymore, and he learns to be himself, and sometimes care free. Montag learns to see the brighter side of things and believe in him...
Firstly, Montag is influenced by Clarisse McClellan because she is the first person he has met that is not like the rest of the society. Clarisse is a young 17 year old girl that Montag quickly becomes very fond of. Clarisse influences Montag by the way she questioned Montag, the way she admires nature, and her death. Clarisse first influenced Montag by the way she began questioning him often. Her questions would make him think for himself unlike the rest of society. “Then she seemed to remember something and came back to look at him with wonder and curiosity. “Are you happy?” she said. “Am I what?” he cried. But she was gone- running in the moonlight” (Bradbury, 10). Clarisse was one of the only people that Montag had ever met that had ever asked him that. This question that she asked him influenced him because he thinks about, and Montag asks himself tha...
The novel “Fahrenheit 451” by Ray Bradbury is a novel about a fireman named, Guy Montag, who is living in a time where there is a war going on. Montag’s occupation is to burn houses that contain books inside them. In the beginning of the novel, Montag has never questioned anything in his life that is until he meets a young girl named Clarisse who sparks something inside him to have a different perspective on his life and society. With all the changes happening to Montag in the book, the novel is primarily about the rebirth of a repressed society.
",,Is it true that long ago firemen put fires out instead of going to start them?,," (Bradbury 3). Clarisse is constantly wanting to learn the truth and make sure that the facts she has been given is correct. This is what makes her different from all of the other characters in the novel. Clarisse knows that reading and learning is breaking the law, but she does not care. She values an education and knows knowledge is key. Because of this, Clarisse is seen as a misfit delinquent. Not many people understand her, but towards the end of the story, Montag
Clarisse McClellan, a unique outcast whose personality traits you could say has influenced Montag to question his life. During one night after work Montag has a little run in with this unique individual into which his transformation initiates. Montag and Clarisse share a conversation into which becomes a life changing experience for Montag, they talked about life and how it’s so different from the times long ago. However though towards the end of this fascinating conversation Clarisse asked Montag one last question right before taking off, she asked Montag this, “Are you happy?”(Bradbury 7). Montag hesitantly states that yes he was happy right when she took off. Later on that night we find out Montag’s wife Mildred had overdosed on ...
...radbury the protagonist Guy Montag had three mentors that helped him along his journey; Clarisse, Faber and Granger. Clarisse is the one who first opens his eyes to the world around him, Faber teaches him how he should approach this new way of thinking, and Granger establishes him as an intellectual who can help society rebuild after the destruction from the war. A line from the Book of Ecclesiastes Montag remembers very well sums up his transformation: “And on either side of the river was there a tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.” (158) Now Montag is finally learning who he is and what he should do with his life; through his three mentors he has found his identity.
Their initial conversation is the focal point of the book, revealing to the audience that Montag is different and more capable of thinking. Additionally, Bradbury makes it seem like the other characters who don’t question society, such as Mildred and Beatty, are threatened by Clarisse and her way of thinking. Mildred acknowledges Montag and Clarisse's short friendship in a harsh way and is glad to mention to Montag that Clarisse has been killed at the end of the first chapter.
Clarisse is someone I would not imagine to have such a big effect on Montag. To me she seems to be out of Montag's comfort zone. Clarisse always has questions and wants to learn something. There was never a moment Clarisse was not wondering or questioning something. An example of Clarisse being curious is when she first meets Montag and says "Do you mind if I ask? How long have you worked at being a fireman?"(5). Clarisse begins asking many questions about being a fireman as soon as she gets to know Montag a little better(6). Clarisse is always the type of girl to wants to learn something new. Clarisse is very social and will like to meet anyone. She has no clue who Montag is besides her neighbor but she still starts talking to him, and makes a friendship out of it(3). Clarisse likes to be outside with nature and enjoys life. If Clarisse was a lot older her and Montag would be great together. Clarisse and Montag have so much in common.
One night on Montag’s usual walk home from work, he meets a young unusual girl named Clarisse McClellan. She is different from most people, she is idealistic and hates what being social has turned into. She tells Montag of a society where firemen once use to put out accidental fires, and not start them as they do now. Montag thinks this is nonsense the Chief has reassured him that firemen have always started fires, it’s even in rule book. Clarisse continues to tell him about her uncle, who remembers such things from the past. She tells Montag about her family and how they stay up all night talking about a variety of different things. Montag thinks this is very odd, why would anyone want to waste their time just staying up and talking?
You ask yourself what does all of this have to do with Fahrenheit 451. If you said that the theme is individualism then I would say that you are close but no cigar. The theme of the book is what the author Ray Bradbury says about individuality. Bradbury shows how he fells about this through the character Guy Montag. Fahrenheit 451 has many examples. One is when Guy is running away from the mechanical hounds the community all open their doors: at the count of ten now! One! Two! He felt the city rise. Three! He felt the city turn to its thousands of doors. Faster leg up, leg down! Four! The people sleep walking in their hallways. Five! He felt their hands on the door knobs! The smell of the river was cool and like solid rain. His throat burnt rust and his eyes were wept dry with running. He yelled as if this yell would jet him on, fling him the last hundred yards.
In Montag’s society, everyone is the same, and no one questions anything that is happening around them. Clarisse, a girl who questions the way their society works, tells Montag, ‘“They
During the Novel Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury there is a strong disparity between conformity and individuality. Throughout the book characters like Beatty and Mildred show conformity , while other characters show individuality, like Clarisse and Guy Montag.
First, as Montag pondered about what Clarisse had told him during their conversation, he began to open his eyes to the world, and he saw the flaws and corruptions in his society. Where Montag lives, individualism is against the law. Anyone who is different from everyone else is considered to be dangerous. As Clarisse pointed out, even someone walking down the street alone was thought to be odd. Instead of reading books, people spend their time mindlessly watching television, in the belief that it will bring them happiness.
Fahrenheit 451 is a best-selling American novel written by Ray Bradbury. The novel is about firemen Guy Montag and his journey on discovering the importance of knowledge in an ignorant society. There are many important themes present throughout the novel. One of the most distinct and reoccurring themes is ignorance vs knowledge. Bradbury subtly reveals the advantage and disadvantages of knowledge and ignorance by the contrasting characters Montag and his wife Mildred. Montag symbolizes knowledge while Mildred on the other hand symbolizes ignorance.
Montag is influenced by Clarisse a lot. And, her impact on him is tremendous. She questions his whole life, teaches him to appreciate the simple things, and to care about other people and their feelings. “You're peculiar, you're aggravating, yet you're easy to forgive..”(Bradbury 23) Through all Clarisse's questioning, Montag knows that she is trying to help him. Because of her help and impact on him, Montag is changed forever.