Clarisse McClellan is one of the most important characters in the story. She shows up very early and she leaves not too far along in the story too. She is a seventeen year old girl who is quite noticeably different than most people her age. She is different than others because she always talks to her uncle. Most people are taught everything from TV parlors, but Clarisse seems like she was mostly taught by her family. Clarisse first introduces herself to Montag by saying she is seventeen and crazy. She says “My uncle says the two always go together. When people ask your age, he said, always say seventeen and insane” (Bradbury, 7.) To most people she probably does seem crazy, but to the reader she is more like a normal person than any of the other characters. Clarisse is the first person that makes Montag think. As they are talking, Montag begins to laugh. Then Clarisse says “You laugh when I haven’t been funny and you answer right off. You never stop to think what I’ve asked you” (Bradbury, 8.) I think that was pretty much the moment that Montag began to change. Then before she leaves she asks Montag if he is happy, and he starts to think. The next time Montag runs into her she asks him about being a fireman. She says that he does not seem like a fireman, and that it does not seem right for him (Bradbury, 24.) Now Montag is going to question why he is a fireman. This leads him to books. He realizes that books are very important, and that he needs to stop burning them. Clarisse just about made an impact on Montag every time that they ran into each other. When he does not see her for awhile he finds that he misses talking to her. She has basically made him question his life and change it. Then he finds out that she has died. Clarisse came into the story and she basically set everything that happened into motion.
Bradbury, Ray. Fahrenheit 451. New York: Ballantine, 2003. Print.
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