Fahrenheit 451 Plot
There are many events during the duration of the plot which have a signifigant impact on Montag and the plot itself (how it plays out). i.e. meeting Clarrise, setting the old woman's house on fire, the old woman lighting herself on fire, bringing home of the books, or the burning of Beety. Which was the most important turning point in the plot and why was this specific plot point so important?
I think meeting Clarrise was the most important turning point in the plot. Meeting her caused Montag to really think about his life and what direction it was headed. Clarrise was the driving force for Montag's curiosity and caused Montag to do some things that he originally wouldn't have done. An example is when he took the book. Before meeting Clarrise, Montag would never have done something like this. But the curiosity that Clarrise made in him caused him to take the book. Clarrise was one of the most important characters because if Montag hadn't met her then he wouldn't have wondered about his happiness or about books. Without Clarrise, the plot of the book would have been changed significantly and the book might have ended differently.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I think that meeting Clarisse is an important turning point because without her Montag would have never been so curious about books, I think that seeing the old woman light herself on fire over the books is the most important turning point because that is what got him even more curious about whats inside books and why they're outlawed. On page 51 he says "There must be something in books, things we can't imagine, to make a woman stay in a burning house; there must be something there. You don't stay for nothing." This shows that after that night everything changed and he wanted to know why they weren't allowed to have books anymore. His curiosity grew so much that he broke the law and took a book from the scene because he knew that that was his only chance he'd get to see what books were all about. Yes Clarisse did start his curiosity, but if he had never seen the woman sacrifice her own life because she no longer could have books, he would never had taken the book.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Gurdish on the fact that meeting Clarisse was the most important turning point in the plot, I wrote something similar in Ashely’s blog about character and why Montag changed. Montag really like the fact of how Clarisse was so different from the society that they were in, she spoke, behaved and thought things differently. The more she talked to Montag, the more he began to speak, behave and think differently too because it’s a fact that, the more you hang out with someone the more likely that they are going to get rubbed off on to you or vise-versa. You could defiantly tell that Clarisse left a mark on Montag through the fact that when she went missing, it really bothered Montag, it bothered him so much that it effect his whole daily ruin, he even thought about retracing his rout in hopes of meeting or seeing Clarisse. It was because of Clarisse that the burning of the books and the women burning herself troubled or bothered Montag later on the story. It is also why he started to bring books home and that lead to all kinds of trouble. Like Gurdish said “when he took the book. Befroe meeting Clarrise, Montag would never have done something like this.” And it’s true I mean he is a fireman, in his society he is supposed to burn the books not take them home. So that’s why Clarisse was such a big factor having the plot change and the whole book, without her Montag would have probably burnt the books and watch the lady burn herself with no hesitation.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Gurdish saying that meeting Clarisse was a major turning point in the plot and had a significant impact on Montag's thoughts and actions throughout the rest of the book. But I also agree with Cerra saying that seeing the woman light herself on fire had a significant impact on Montag and the plot as well. Both of these happenings support the idea of going against the "normal" society and it intrigues Montag. Clarrise may have had a bigger impact because she made Montag realize that he wasnt happy and that he wasn't actually in love with his wife, Mildred.Clarrise "ignited the spark" inside Montag that triggered the series of events following such as the lady burning, etc. Clarrise asks Montag to begin asking questions beginning with the simple yet profound, "Are you happy?" Montag begins to question his relationship with people, his job, Mildred and society as a whole.
ReplyDeleteI agree with all of you and your explanations as to why certain plot points are important and why you think are important. I agree with Gurdish, Hannah, and Jian that Clarisse was crucial to understanding the plot, because without her we as readers, and Montag would have never known what society once was (according to her uncle). Without Clarisse, Montag may have never question his actions, however Montag is still in a state of confusion and uncertainty due to what Clarisse has told him. In addition I agree with Cerra, and also believe that the old woman burning herself had a major impact on how the plot played out. Montag was still uncertain on what to think about what Clarisse had told, until he saw the old woman burn herself to death. The following quote shows how the old woman burning herself truly cleared any doubt in Montag's mind, and made it clear what was going on was bad; "There must be something in books, things we can't imagine, to make a woman stay in a burning house; there must be something there. You don't stay for nothing" (Bradbury). It is obvious that one single event cannot dictate the plot of a book, rather it is a series of incidents and events which build upon each other to steer the plot. If phrased in a metaphor, Clarisse was the seed, and the old woman burning herself was the germination of the seed.
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