Fahrenheit 451

“It was a pleasure to burn. It was a special pleasure to see things eaten, to see things blackened and changed.”

The opening line from the novel gives the reader a glimpse into Montag’s world. It is a violent place, and Montag sees it as his patriotic duty to burn books. This opening line best emphasizes the scale of his transformation.

“Her face, turned to him now, was fragile milk crystal with a soft and constant light in it. It was not the hysterical light of electricity but-what? But the strangely comfortable and rare and gently flattering light of the candle.”

Clarisse’s appearance intrigues Montag, for she is unlike anyone he’s met before. Fire has only negative connotations for Montag. It’s a source of destruction in his life, but within Clarisse, fire symbolizes the warmth of her personality and her love of the natural world.

“You laugh when I haven’t been funny and you answer right off. You never stop to think what I’ve asked you.”

During Montag’s first encounter with Clarisse, she mentions she’d once heard that firemen used to put out fires, rather than start them. Montag laughs at her suggestion, and Clarisse chastises him with the above comment. Clarisse questions everything, but Montag is machine-like and incapable of seeing the bigger picture. His attitude changes as his friendship with Clarisse develops.