Fahrenheit 451 Comparison

The novel Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury is often compared and contrasted with its 1967 film counterpart, written and directed by François Truffaut. The minor differences between the novel and the film contribute to the way that Bradbury’s message is received by the audience. The novel better conveys Bradbury’s message of the destruction of the individual than the film does because of the way that it portrays Clarisse, its inclusion of the Mechanical Hound, the relationship that it builds between the reader and the characters, and the inclusion of Faber’s character. Clarisse McClellan plays a far more important role in the film adaptation than she does in the novel. She takes on a strong leading female role. In the novel, Clarisse McClellan …show more content…
The novel, set in third person limited omniscient, allows the reader to read Montag’s thought process and better understand how and why he turns to books to cultivate his individualism instead of turning modern technology like the rest of society. This allows the reader to build a relationship with Guy Montag— understanding his thoughts, convictions, and insecurities. Montag’s internal monologue reveals the anxiety that comes with his journey to becoming an individual. Montag’s internal monologue is scattered with the anxiety of these forbidden thoughts, thinking in choppy segments—“one, two, three, four, five, Clarisse, Mildred, uncle, fire, sleeping tablets, men, disposable tissue, coattails, blow, wad, flush, Clarisse, Mildred, uncle, fire, tablets, tissues, blow, wad, flush. One, two three, one, two, three!…’I don't know anything anymore’” (Bradbury 15). Guy Montag’s choppy thoughts are indicative of his confusion with the concepts that Clarisse has sparked within him. This is significant because the reader can understand accurately what Montag is expressing. This contributes to Ray Bradbury’s message of the destruction of the individual because the deepened perspective of Montag allows the reader to know how different Montag thinks from the rest of society. The film lacks the ability to connect the reader with the protagonists. Critics Diana Holmes and Robert Ingram “complain that the main characters are so cold ‘that the spectator does not really care whether or not Montag and Clarisse survive’” (Whalen 1). The relationship between the reader and the characters is weak because the viewer cannot see the inner trials of Guy Montag unfold before them like a reader could while reading the novel. The relationship that the reader or viewer builds with the character is extremely important to the overall effect of the book on the reader.