Granger’s …show more content…
It was Clarisse’s view-point that compels Montag to look at life with a different perspective and notice the many faults of society that he failed to see clearly before meeting her. The turning point for Montag in the novel was when Clarisse asked him “are you happy?” The significance of the quote relates to the quality of people’s lives in the society. Everyone thinks they are happy, but deep down in their hearts, they are actually miserable. She is able to point out that Montag was never in love with his wife and not happy in life. Montag’s transformation in following his instincts and doing what made him happy was his first step towards rejuvenation. Clarisse brings Montag a ray of hope, showing him that the future could me much better, and convincing him that it is time for humanity to start rebuilding and not destroying itself. Clarisse acts as a metaphor to Montag showing him all the things that are wrong in society. When he accepts the fact he is not happy, Montag starts to deny the negative values set forth by society and becomes independent, sacrificing his old life for a new …show more content…
Once the phoenix’s concept is clear, the reader is able to understand the society that Montag is living in. It is through knowledge, hope, and experience that Montag was able to realize the meaning of the phoenix and start his rebirth. The subliminal message in Fahrenheit 451 is that, society fails to learn from its past mistakes and continues to repeat them over and over again. The only way we can start to evolve is by burning the mistakes we had done in the past and start to rebuild for the future. The phoenix is a symbol of hope to the world of Fahrenheit 451, but can very well, be a message to our modern