Ahmed 1

Omar Ahmed

Mrs. Williams

Honors ELA 10

6 April 2018

Montag’s Motivational Muse

Whenever people accomplish great achievements, we heavily extol them for it; however,

we often don’t attribute any of that credit to the motivators of those achievers. In Ray Bradbury’s

Fahrenheit 451, Clarisse served as the “muse” for Guy Montag, which is an inspirational female

figure in literature. Montag was a compliant fireman, as he would always abide by the corrupted

law of the land. When Clarisse asked him whether he read any of the books he burned, he

laughed it off and said, “that’s against the law!” However, after a brief discussion with Clarisse

on his walk home from work, Montag became dubious about his duty as a fireman. Clarisse

provided Montag with intriguing historical facts and asked him questions that made him realize

how chaotic the corruption of his duty was. Montag realized how unattainable Clarisse was, a

very common characteristic of a muse, as she light-heartedly spoke to someone many in the

novel feared: a fireman. By asking him the simple question of, “are you happy?”, Clarisse

evoked a massive doubt within him after he claimed that he indeed was happy. In Ray

Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451, Clarisse was a focal source of inspiration for Montag, as she was a

rare source of enlightenment, helped him realize that he was a unique fireman, and that the

difference between firemen of the past and present is like day and night.

Ray Bradbury uses Clarisse in Fahrenheit 451 as Montag’s muse, a young 17-year-old

girl that shed a portion of her enlightenment on Montag. That bit of enlightenment tipped the first
 Ahmed 2

domino in Montag’s mind, the domino piece that, in all it’s years in Montag’s mind, has been

waiting to be tipped over and start a whole series of events that would lead to his very own

enlightenment. Montag was quite fortunate to cross paths with Clarisse, as she was an extremely

rare source of any type of enlightenment in this dystopian novel. That rarity is evident in the

quote where Bradbury compares Clarisse’s house with her neighbors’ houses late at night,

“Above all, their laughter… coming from the house that was so brightly lit this late at night

while all the other were… in darkness.” (Pg. 7). Bradbury metaphorically illustrates how Clarisse

came from “a well-lit house,” a family illuminated with knowledge, amid the neighboring houses

that were lost in the darkness of ignorance.

Clarisse also helped Montag acknowledge that he was a unique fireman, unlike the other

emotionally dead firemen that many feared, when she told him, “You’re not like the others. I’ve

seen a few, I know. When I talk, you look at me… The others would never do that.” When

hearing Clarisse juxtapose himself with the other firemen, Montag began to realize that he was

the odd man out. He enjoyed his discussion with Clarisse on his walk home when his coworkers

surely wouldn’t even bother to look at her. Montag acknowledged that being a fireman wasn’t his

ideal occupation, as it didn’t suit the hidden compassion locked up in his heart. He figured the

key to that wicked lock would be quitting his duty as a fireman.

Finally, Clarisse helped Montag perceive that what the firemen were doing was indeed

corruptive and evil. “Is it true that long ago firemen put fires out instead of going to start them?”

Clarisse asked regarding the duty of former firemen. By trying to confirm what she heard of

those former fireman, Clarisse led Montag to realize that firemen initially were responsible for

putting fires out and not starting them. This realization that firemen took a corruptive turn away

from their heroic origins of saving people from the destruction of fire is one of the factors that
 Ahmed 3

pushed Montag into literally firing his boss and escaping from the corrupted community which

the firemen patrolled. Being the compassionate person he is, Montag knew that he had no place

in that society.

After being enlightened by Clarisse, Montag began to plot against his fellow firemen. He

registered that he was in the wrong place, in the wrong time, and should go against societal

norms. This applies to life today, as one should go against societal norms if it prevents them from

becoming the individual they well and truly desire to become. A child growing up in an

uneducated family would have to break away from that familial norm to graduate from high

school or even get an educational degree. Muse Clarisse obliquely guided Montag to his personal

break away from his occupation as a fireman.

 Ahmed 4

Sanitary Snowfall

In the movie Fahrenheit 451, Francois Truffaut uses the symbol of snow at the end of the

movie to symbolize the cleansing of Montag’s life after leaving behind the corrupted town he

once lived in. When escaping to the “walking camps,” Montag had the privilege to read books

freely; hence, he was eventually cleansed from the hatred, implanted in his heart by working as

fireman, towards books. By choosing snow to depict the cleansing of Montag, I believe Truffaut

wisely chose a nearly perfect symbol. Snow is made of water, and water is used for cleansing,

such as when taking showers, doing the dishes, or doing laundry. Also, it’s white color

symbolizes purity, cleanliness, and innocence. Precipitation usually comes at the end of a movie

with a corrupt plot to symbolize the cleansing of a character or a setting; therefore, the snowfall

at the end of the movie is a great way to mark the beginning of the novel’s good times.

The theme of cleansing is relevant in our current situation because it is undoubtedly

needed in many parts of today’s world. Think of all the places that are facing brutality, violence,

and demolition. Think of places like Syria, where the nation’s air forces are bombing innocent

elders, women, and children. Think of the many villages in Africa that are facing harsh famine

and starvations, leading to slow, inevitable deaths. Therefore, cleansing is completely relevant in

our current situation, and we long for some unique type of snowfall to cleanse it in one fell

swoop.
 Ahmed 5

Evaluating the Bone Density of the Backbones of our Societies

Women are the backbones of our societies, but are they usually portrayed as dependent,

weak characters, or as independent, motivational figures? Mildred and Clarisse both represent

one end of the spectrum, respectively. In Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury juxtaposes two main

female characters to show that women aren’t what society makes them out to be. This is

significant because it draws a fine line between the stereotypically portrayed, cliché women and

what women really are like. Both women had a set of unique motivations that shaped them into

what we perceive them as. Mildred was engrossed in materialism, while Clarisse was a more

independent woman who wondered the outside world and sought knowledge. One represents

what society views women as, and the other represents the overlooked potential that women

possess.

Ray Bradbury includes two female characters with different aspirations in Fahrenheit

451. Mildred represents the weak nature of the stereotypically perceived woman. She’s mostly at

home, abused by Montag at times, and wasn’t loyal to him at the end of the story, abandoning

him after noticing his gradual inclination towards the lawfully prohibited books. Mildred says in

one part of the novel, “Isn’t this show wonderful?” this quote shows that she was an immobile

“couch potato,” always sitting around at home with her eyes glued onto the TV. Whereas Mildred

was portrayed as a cliché woman, Clarisse was a brave and knowledgeable female character;

indeed, her wanderlust and hunger for knowledge contradicts with Mildred’s aspirations. Clarisse

had an exceptional amount of knowledge of the past that Montag himself didn’t know of. She

once said, “I heard once that a long time ago houses used to burn by accident and they needed

firemen to stop the flames.” This shows how well-informed Clarisse was about the past;

furthermore, it shows how well-informed women in general can be about anything. Mildred’s
 Ahmed 6

motivations were based on materialism, such as when she said, “How long… before we… a

fourth wall-TV put in?” Clarisse’s motivations were based on enlightenment, as she was a seeker

of knowledge.

Ray Bradbury juxtaposes two female characters in Fahrenheit 451 to draw a distinctive

line between what women are viewed as and what they really are like. Mildred’s role in this

objective is to serve as the “control,” the character that Clarisse can be compared to to show the

vast difference between how society views women and what they’re really like. As woman are

striving for their voices to be heard, this is quite relevant today. Just like men, women are

humans deserving of equal job opportunities, wages, and to just simply be heard. Men must

acknowledge the potential women have; furthermore, they must realize that women aren’t like

the cliché Mildred of Fahrenheit 451; rather, they’re more like Clarisse: independent and

motivational figures.
 Ahmed 7

Overcoming our Desires

An underlying theme in Poe’s “Cask of Amontillado” is that excessive desires can

ultimately lead one to their doom. When Montresor told Fortunato he purchased a bottle of

Amontillado, Fortunato was completely engrossed with what he heard. “Amontillado!” cried

Fortunato, and he followed Montresor down to the vaults to “examine the wine” and see if it was

real. This brief yet important quote reveals just how engrossed Fortunato was with Amontillado,

or wines in general. Although Fortunato was trying to help Montresor, he clearly made a mistake

for walking into the vaults; as an immediate result, he walked into his death trap. An addiction

may be enticing to its unfortunate victim, but they mustn’t allow it to drag them to their doom.

When reflecting upon the Cask of Amontillado, I can appreciate the quality of the short

story. For one thing, it was quite engrossing, especially with all the suspense and irony that Poe

implemented in it. These two themes go hand in hand. The suspense is effective due to the fact

that it arises the curiosity from the audience; meanwhile, the irony helps feed that suspense since

the audience knows things a certain character doesn’t and they long to see what the outcome of a

character would be, as the character isn’t aware of what the audience knows about. Also, the

many themes in this short story just help add to the quality of it. It helps the audience reflect on

several morals that we as humans need to take into consideration.