Role Of Clarisse In Fahrenheit 451

Montag, a character in the famous book Fahrenheit 451, is changed by various characters, such as Faber, The Book People, and Mildred. Montag lives in a cookie-cutter suburban neighborhood that lives under a government that doesn’t accept individuality with his brainwashed wife, Mildred. Montag though, realizes that something is missing in the society through a helpful and curious girl named Clarisse, who impacts him the most in the book by making him think of what the past used to be, what the society is missing, and making him question the world around him.

Clarisse impacts Montag the most, as she is the first character that Montag meets at the beginning of the book before he even thought of Faber or noticed what was wrong with Mildred at the start of the book. Only after meeting Clarisse is Montag reminded of Faber “What a strange meeting on a strange night. He remembered nothing like it save one afternoon a year ago when he had met and an old man in the park and they had talked.” After meeting her for the first time and begins to question his life and the society he lives in by Clarisse simply talking to him. Without Clarisse in this beginning part of the book, Montag would haven’t gotten the idea or thought of what was missing in the society.

Clarisse challenges Montag by asking him if he is happy and begins to show him things that he had not known before. Basically, Clarisse begins to shape Montag into an individual like herself and make him question everything.