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Emily Nguyen

Mr. Meulmester

Honors English 8

6 March 2023

Open

In a world where everybody is falling into pits of dull lives of monotony, well on the way

to destruction, there are a select few who survive. These people have minds, open like a

parachute, which save them from complete disaster. While everybody else finds their enjoyment

in the same empty, mindless distractions each day, there are a number who cling onto the

collected wisdom of the past, hoping to stop the world from killing itself. In Ray Bradbury’s

dystopian novel Fahrenheit 451, an ignorant fireman called Guy Montag falls into an influential

relationship with the curious Clarisse McClellan, who teaches him how to open his parachute

before it is too late.

Montag is a typical figure in his city: ignorant and unable to understand the destruction

he causes. He belittles books like everybody else. Looking at the books in a house he burns, he

thinks this:

It was a special pleasure to see things eaten, to see things blackened and changed. With

the brass nozzle in his fists, with this great python spitting its venomous kerosene upon

the world, the blood pounded in his head, and his hands were the hands of some amazing

conductor playing all the symphonies of blazing and burning to bring down the tatters

and charcoal ruins of history…He strode in a swarm of fireflies. He wanted above all,

like the old joke, to shove a marshmallow on a stick in the furnace, while the flapping

pigeon-winged books died on the porch and lawn of the house. (1)
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This shows that when tasked with burning down a house, he performs this with obvious delight.

Carelessly spewing kerosene everywhere, Montag believes that he is creating an amusing

spectacle for all to enjoy. This also shows that he cares about nothing that is in the books, simply

regarding his destruction of them as a joke. Thus, it is clear that Montag is ignorant of the

importance of books and has no appreciation for them.

As he walks along a deserted sidewalk, Montag meets the person who will introduce him

to the harsh reality of his television and technology-obsessed city — Clarisse McClellan. Montag

and Clarisse form a close friendship due to her eccentric but pleasant personality. When they

meet, she asks a multitude of questions:

“How did it start? How did you get into it? How did you pick your work and how did you

happen to think to take the job you have? You’re not like the others...The others would

never do that. The others would walk off and leave me talking...No one has time for

anyone else. You’re one of the few who put up with me. That’s why I think it’s so strange

you’re a fireman, it just doesn’t seem right for you, somehow.”

He felt his body divide itself into a hotness and a coldness, a softness and a

hardness, a trembling and a not trembling, the two halves grinding one upon the other.

(21)

Clarisse’s words display the distant and inattentive relationships the people in the city possess

with each other. This shows that her questions cause him to consider and realize the bleakness of

the life their city has to offer. This also shows that the seeds of understanding planted in his mind

by her questions make him question the true meaning of his society. In conclusion, Montag’s

relationship with Clarisse allows him to transform into a more knowledgeable and curious

person.
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Now that he sees the world in a new light, Montag understands the deeper meaning

behind books and starts to regret his job. While arguing with Mildred about his work, he

expresses his feelings about burning the books:

“It’s not just the woman that died,” said Montag. “Last night I thought about all

that kerosene I’ve used in the past ten years. And I thought about books. And for the first

time I realized that a man was behind each one of the books. A man had to think them up.

A man had to take a long time to put them down on paper. And I’d never even thought

that thought before.” He got out of bed.

“It took some man a lifetime maybe to put some of his thoughts down, looking

around at the world and life and then I come along in two minutes and boom! it’s all

over.” (49)

This shows that now, instead of being able to burn books without a thought, Montag considers

the words the books have to say. Each book contains the thoughts of a person written down

carefully, each word penned with attention. He now realizes the importance of the worlds inside

the books and is remorseful for what he and the other firemen have done. This also shows that

Montag has become more thoughtful and gains an affection for books, thinking about each

person behind a book. The people behind each book are destroyed each time one is converted to

ashes, and Montag feels anger for all the lives he has demolished. As a final point, Montag has

advanced into an improved person, one who has learned the truth about the wisdom preserved in

books.

Before his enlightening encounter with Clarisse, Montag is ignorant and unfamiliar with

the value and usefulness of books, instead taking pleasure in incinerating them. Following his

prominent confrontation with Clarisse, Montag forms a close bond with her, and she explains
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their city’s numerous imperfections, leading him to question them. Because of their friendship,

he begins to recognize his true character - one that is aware of alarming aspects of his society.

Given these points, Montag is now able to comprehend the vitality of books, which contain

hidden treasures, and the reason behind their significance. Montag had been imprisoned behind a

screen of ignorance and monotony, surrounded by people who appeared content with their life.

Oblivious to the trap that keeps him in a dark corner of the world, he continued through his life

as normal. Clarisse comes into his life, and she removes the screen to reveal the truth of his

world. Without the screen blocking his view, Montag’s eyes are now open to a future of

possibilities.
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Work Cited

Bradbury, Ray. Fahrenheit 451. New York, Ballantine Books, 1953.