Compare And Contrast Clarisse And Montag

In the novel Fahrenheit 451 Guy Montag is a fireman who is in love with his job, burning houses with books down. The job of a fireman in this whole new society is to burn down houses with books in them. Montag has always enjoyed his job, that is until Clarisse McClellan comes along. Clarisse is seventeen and very different than everyone in this futuristic society. Clarisse and Montag befriend each other quickly, and Clarisse's impact on Montag is enormous. First Clarisse comes into Montag's life, and immediately begins to question his relationship with his wife, his career, and his happiness. For example Clarisse states, 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

Look where they got you, in slime up to your lip. If I stir the slime with my little finger, you'll drown!"(111) Montag is driven by Beatty's words to murdering Beatty, committing his first blatant act of crime against society and driving him over the edge to a new life on the run. Then, Beatty quickens Montag's development from seemingly content member of society to a determined rebel against it. Finally Beatty last effect on Montag was how he put curiosity it Montag's brain when he says, "Here or there, that's bound to occur. Clarisse McClellan? We've a record on her family. We've watched them carefully. Heredity and environment are funny things. You can't rid yourselves of all the odd ducks in just a few years. The home environment can undo a lot you try to do at school. That's why we've lowered the kindergarten age year after year until now we're almost snatching them from the cradle."(104) This quote shows how Beatty influenced Montag with curiosity and that shaped Montag into who is now. All in all Montag was different then his society before he met these two characters but these characters pulled Montag more out of his shell making him a thinker and social