Fahrenheit 451 Montag Quotes

Improved Essays
Clarisse's ultimate purpose in Fahrenheit 451 is to serve as the major motive for Montag’s complete shift in his outlook on his society, surroundings, and inner emotions. Clarisse contributes heavily to the themes and development of the story, as her physical appearance/actions on Montag and mental assimilation into his everyday thoughts lead him to question and rebel against his society, which is essentially the drive that the whole plot revolves around. She also serves to gently yet constantly remind the reader of the glimmer of hope left in the completely productivity-based, time-based, thoughtless, and emotionless society that she resided in. Her substantial influences on the story can be represented as small, very implicative portions …show more content…
For example, her personal actions and relations with her friends are described as: “And as many times he came out of the house and Clarisse was there somewhere in the world. Once he saw her shaking a walnut tree, once he saw her sitting on the lawn knitting a blue sweater. … ‘Because I like you [Montag],’ she said, ‘and I don’t want anything from you. And because we know each other,’ ” (Bradbury 25-26). This quote is definitely characteristic of Clarisse’s heart and hands, because it demonstrates what Clarisse truly appreciates and what she holds close to her. Clarisse holds nature and her environment dear to herself. Without her environment, Clarisse would not be able to enjoy life as she does every day and would not be able to slow down and think often. The quote also implies that Clarisse highly values and appreciates her relationships with her family and Montag. Being close to others and involved in true social, humanistic discussion engages Clarisse like no other activity in her society. Clarisse’s love for her surroundings and relationships also helps Montag develop his rebellious mindset at the end of the novel and helps Montag comprehend the people and physical features around him. Therefore, this quote highlights how Clarisse serves her purpose in the novel by demonstrating how she changed Montag’s perspective of the …show more content…
The text emphasizes the significance of these instincts and reactions much less directly and much more symbolically/figuratively, as displayed in this quote: “What incredible power of identification the girl [Clarisse] had; she was like the eager watcher of a marionette show, anticipating each [movement], the moment before it began. He felt that if his eye itched, she might blink. And if… his jaws stretched… ,she would yawn long before,” (Bradbury 9). This quote is symbolic of Clarisse’s gut since it describes her inner reactions taking place before the actual occurrence, and her instinct taking over and predicting actions. During conversation, her ability to decipher and identify what people are thinking, feeling, and will end up doing in a social situation is incredible when compared to the rest of the society. Clarisse’s gut instincts also developed Montag’s strive toward a personality like hers, and thus played a role in the advancement of the plot of the

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    The thing that sparked this change in Montag was a girl he meet named Clarisse. Clarisse was a young girl montag meet while walking home from work. Clarisse was much different from other people her age, she thought about things, and asked a lot of questions. Montag started thinking about the question Clarisse asked him.…

    • 631 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Montag meets Clarisse while walking down the sidewalk. As they started their conversation, he comprehended that she asked too many questions. For example, she asked, “You are not in love with anyone?” along with many other questions.…

    • 285 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In the story, Clarisse was telling Montag about how life was in the past when people weren’t afraid. She opened Montag’s mind to what was going on in his life. He started questioning his job and things that were going on around him. For example. In the story, Clarisse tells Montag,”I’m not afraid of you at all.”…

    • 523 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Essay On Guy Montag

    • 912 Words
    • 4 Pages

    In the first part of the novel, “The Hearth and the Salamander,” Clarisse asks Montag if he was happy “Then she seemed to remember something and came back to look…

    • 912 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Although Clarisse’s character was short lived in Fahrenheit 451 Bradbury used descriptive detail in her description. “Her face was slender and milk-white, and in it was a kind of gentle hunger that touched over everything with tireless curiosity” (3). This language gives an instant and unforgettable image of Clarisse. It also gets the reader thinking. Clarisse is so similar to a lot of the girls in this society, yet she was considered abnormal in Fahrenheit 451.…

    • 1111 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    His thoughts on society and his life changes because of Clarisse where he thinks it is lifeless. She deeply affects the mindset of Montag through her actions. When montag is coming back home from work, he meets Clarisse. During this conversation she essentially interrogates Montag. As she is talking to Montag, she is curious and asks him questions.…

    • 680 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    She clarifies to him that he takes the time to listen, look, and acknowledge what she speaks to him. Clarisse’s creative thoughts help Montag to in fact change his perception of the society in Fahrenheit…

    • 706 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    While speaking to Montag, about the negatives of not trusting in conformity, Beatty states that Clarisse “‘didn 't want to know how a thing was done, but why. That can be embarrassing. You ask Why to a lot of things, and you wind up very unhappy indeed if you keep at it. The poor girl 's better off dead.’” (55-56).…

    • 1110 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    (Bradbury 64). Clarisse sparks a change in Montage. He becomes fascinated with her and her family’s “talking” as he compares that to the deficiencies he encounters in his own household. Awakened in a sense, Montag can no longer blindly accept authorities grasp and begins his own journey toward becoming a free thinker like…

    • 1785 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In Fahrenheit 451, a dystopian novel by Ray Bradbury, the government controls its citizens by eliminating books and other forms of mental stimulation, which are replaced by mind-numbing television shows and school programs. The control exerted on citizens by the government and media reflects Karl Marx’s theory of social classes, which can be seen in the novel's characters, as well as it’s description of government control. Fahrenheit was written in the 1950’s, during the Red Scare. This was a time when Americans feared communism and it’s possible infiltration of the government and society. Jonathan Eller points out that “the book was conceived while Josef Stalin was still in power in Russia and published before Sen. Joseph McCarthy was censured…

    • 765 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Ray bradbury say many things in the book that shows us that he is warning us that this could happen to our society in the future. We could be living in a a dead society. A dead society is the lack of knowledge. It could leave people being emotionless and thoughtless. Ray Bradbury's novel Fahrenheit 451 shows that those who lack knowledge leads to a dead society.…

    • 480 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Clarisse and mildred are 2 characters that foil each other very well and have many jurassic differences. They both are important to the story because they both directly influence montag and have caught his interest one time in his life. Clarisse is Montag's 17 year old neighbor who is strange in this society she likes to enjoy the outside. Mildred is Montag's wife and they have been married for 10 years and he says he doesn’t love her anymore. Clarisse and mildred are 2 of the most diverse characters in fahrenheit 451…

    • 280 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Great Essays

    In this aspect, their influence upon Montag differs. Clarisse, encourages Montag on his path of self-awareness as he mirrors her own will to break away from the constraints of society. On the other hand, with Mildred living a conforming life, she prevents him from becoming his own individual and developing the ability…

    • 1561 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Throughout Montag’s interactions with Clarisse, Montag realizes that there is so much more to what he sees…

    • 1071 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Nature In Fahrenheit 451

    • 922 Words
    • 4 Pages

    The one who reveals Montag’s true nature to us is Clarisse. Clarisse is the character that made him realize the flaws and ignorance of society. She ended their initial confrontation with a simple question: “Are you happy?” (Bradbury 10). Once this question was asked it turned Montag’s world upside down.…

    • 922 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays