Role Of Clarisse In Fahrenheit 451

People have a lasting effect on someone depending on how they treat them and what they do in their life. People can have a more meaningful impact having just met someone for a day rather then someone who has been present in their life for years. Montag, in Fahrenheit 451, was more impacted by Clarisse only knowing her for less then a week, rather than his wife, Mildred, of ten years. Clarisse was put in Montag’s life for less then a week, and fulfilled his life more then Mildred. Mildred and Montag have been married for ten years and they don’t have meaning in each other’s lives. Montag’s eyes were open to his true happiness when the author, Ray Bradbury, placed Clarisse in his life. Ray gives Clarisse and Mildred vastly different characteristics
They both have a different glow to them, which separates who they are. Mildred is seen as a torch light and lifeless in the book. Whereas, Clarisse is seen as a candle light and is full of life. The author gives Mildred a description of presenting herself as the light of a torch. Montag thinks everyone in the society has the light of a torch, including Mildred. In the book it says, “People were more often-he searched for a simile found one in his work-torches, blazing away until they whiffed out” (Bradbury 8). People that resemble torch light are seen as people that are un-natural. They have a toxic personality, they way they present themselves are un-natural. They are full of poisons and toxins. Mildred presents herself as the light of a torch towards others. Her personality is filled with toxins and can easily be burned out. Clarisse is the opposite of the light of a torch; her light is like a candles flame. When Montag first meets Clarisse, he is stunned by the way she presents herself. She floats like and angelic angel, so fragile and so perfect. She reminds Montag of the light of a candle. Montag describes Clarisse as, “The strangely comfortable and rare and gently flattering light of the candle” (Bradbury 5). Meaning that Clarisse’s candle light is natural; it’s not toxic and can warm things naturally. Clarisse keeps things simple and natural, there is nothing artificial about her. She says it like it
Mildred runs away from problems instead of facing them head on, and she also thinks technology is the most important thing in the world. On the other hand, Clarisse finds the little things in life so enjoyable and so precious. At the beginning of the story, Montag catches Mildred trying to commit suicide. He comes home to his lifeless wife. When he comes home and sees Mildred, the books stats, “His wife stretched on the bed, uncovered and cold, like a body displayed on the lid of her tomb, her eyes fixed to the ceiling by invisible threads of steal, immovable” (Bradbury 10). Mildred the next day denied that she tried to kill herself. She tried to take the easy way out of her problems. Her view of the world is that if someone has a problem or flaw in their life the best thing to do is to commit suicide. She would rather die then face her problems. Also, she thinks the most important thing in life in technology. In the book, they have parlor walls. The walls are huge TV screens where people are consumed in useless shows that brain washes anyone who constantly watches it. Later in the book, Montag gets sick and instead of Mildred helping her husband, she stays glued to her TV show. Montag asks her to turn it off so that she could help him, but instead she just turned it down and continued to watch it. Her view of the world is that technology is more important then the well being of others. She rarely