The Faintest Breath of Strawberries
Guy Montag, a firefighter, lives in an isolated and lonely society where books have become outlawed by government fearing people. Taking place in a dystopian society, Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, describes the duty of firefighters to burn any books on sight and send the offender to an insane asylum. Using imagery and symbolism, Bradbury helps the reader understand the characters of Clarisse and Mildred.
When Montag first saw Clarisse he was struck by “her dress [which] was white and it whispered” (page 2). Through imagery, this allows the reader to see Clarisse as an angelic presence in an otherwise harsh and loud world. Clarisse enjoyed interacting with the natural world. She “let the rain fall into …show more content…
Montag arrives at home and hears the familiar buzz of the earphones in Mildred’s ears. Bradbury describes the earphones as “...[a] hidden wasp snug in its special pink warm nest” (page 5). It is as if the earphones are a very comfortable bug, content, not wanting to be disturbed or moved - yet it is still like a wasp that is capable of inflicting great pain and discomfort but she just doesn’t realize it. Mildred is immersed in her TV world where her parlour is covered in three walls of televisions. She tells Montag, “It’ll be even more fun when we...have the fourth wall installed” (page 9). The symbolism of the fourth wall shows the reader Mildred’s desire of being completely submerged in fantasy, withdrawing from the role of wife and from society as a whole. In contrast, when Montag is with Clarisse, he see’s in her face the “gently flattering light of the candle” (page 3). This represents the flickering self-awareness that Clarisse awakens in Montag, compared to being closed out and ignored when he is with Mildred. Bradbury uses symbolism again when Montag recalls Clarisse’s face to be “...like a mirror...how many people did you know that refracted your own light to you?” (page 4). Using the mirror as a symbol of self-understanding, the reader is shown that Clarisse allows Montag to see himself clearly, and he understands that it is very rare. Through the use of symbolism, the reader is shown that Mildred is submerged in her fantasy world with her earphones constantly in her ear. Instead of wanting to change, she only wants more of it. The reader learns that Clarisse represents the beginning of self-awareness for Montag. She also allows Montag to see himself clearly, understand how he feels, and discover what’s important to
Guy Montag, a firefighter, lives in an isolated and lonely society where books have become outlawed by government fearing people. Taking place in a dystopian society, Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, describes the duty of firefighters to burn any books on sight and send the offender to an insane asylum. Using imagery and symbolism, Bradbury helps the reader understand the characters of Clarisse and Mildred.
When Montag first saw Clarisse he was struck by “her dress [which] was white and it whispered” (page 2). Through imagery, this allows the reader to see Clarisse as an angelic presence in an otherwise harsh and loud world. Clarisse enjoyed interacting with the natural world. She “let the rain fall into …show more content…
Montag arrives at home and hears the familiar buzz of the earphones in Mildred’s ears. Bradbury describes the earphones as “...[a] hidden wasp snug in its special pink warm nest” (page 5). It is as if the earphones are a very comfortable bug, content, not wanting to be disturbed or moved - yet it is still like a wasp that is capable of inflicting great pain and discomfort but she just doesn’t realize it. Mildred is immersed in her TV world where her parlour is covered in three walls of televisions. She tells Montag, “It’ll be even more fun when we...have the fourth wall installed” (page 9). The symbolism of the fourth wall shows the reader Mildred’s desire of being completely submerged in fantasy, withdrawing from the role of wife and from society as a whole. In contrast, when Montag is with Clarisse, he see’s in her face the “gently flattering light of the candle” (page 3). This represents the flickering self-awareness that Clarisse awakens in Montag, compared to being closed out and ignored when he is with Mildred. Bradbury uses symbolism again when Montag recalls Clarisse’s face to be “...like a mirror...how many people did you know that refracted your own light to you?” (page 4). Using the mirror as a symbol of self-understanding, the reader is shown that Clarisse allows Montag to see himself clearly, and he understands that it is very rare. Through the use of symbolism, the reader is shown that Mildred is submerged in her fantasy world with her earphones constantly in her ear. Instead of wanting to change, she only wants more of it. The reader learns that Clarisse represents the beginning of self-awareness for Montag. She also allows Montag to see himself clearly, understand how he feels, and discover what’s important to