Fahrenheit 451: Clarisse Character Description

Clarisse McClellan is a very interesting character.  She is reflective, calm, cheerful, curious, and just plain different from other people.  She enjoys walking (especially in the rain), talking, and collecting butterflies, others enjoy racing in jet cars, going to fun parks, and watching the family (television walls).  “‘But most of all,’ she said, ‘I like to watch people. Sometimes I ride the subway all day and look at them and listen to them. I just want to figure out who they are and what they want and where they're going.’”  She was not interested in how something is done but why (Bradbury 28).  This was a new concept for Montag- questioning why things are the way they are.  This was Clarisse’s role in Fahrenheit 451, to open Montag’s mind to question things and to step outside of what the world expects of him.  The first thing that Clarisse made Montag question was whether he was truly happy.  When asked, Montag thought, “Of course I'm happy. What does she think? I'm not?”  (Bradbury 4), but when he got home, he realized that he is not happy.  Clarisse is also quite open and friendly.  She is the only person who shows any interest in actually listening to a person, such as Montag, and having a quality conversation.  There are not many people in the book’s society that are like her.  One quote that struck me as ironic is when Captain Beatty said, “You ask ‘Why’ to a lot of things and you wind up very unhappy indeed, if you keep at it.” (Bradbury 28)  It is interesting how Captain Beatty called her “very unhappy” when she was the happiest and most free-spirited person in the book.  She certainly seemed much happier than Mildred and the some people mentioned jumping off of a building in an effort to commit suicide…just saying (Mildred almost committed suicide with pills).  It is believed that Clarisse was hit by a car and died.  The people that killed her are some of the ones she was referring to when she said, “I'm afraid of children my own age. They kill each other.” (Bradbury 14)

Bradbury, Ray. Fahrenheit 451. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1967. Print.