Fahrenheit 451 Litblog Pages 3-31

Mary Ann MacDonald
Period 5
2-25-13

 

Pages 3-31 Litblog

 

Summary: Guy Montag is a fireman who instead of putting out fires, he lights them and burns books. On his way home one day he meets Clarisse McClellan, a 17 year old girl who isn't like everyone else. She tells him about how things used to be, and she liked to talk midnight walks and just think, she even asks him if he is happy. Montag thinks this girl is crazy. He comes home to find his wife Mildred has overdosed on sleeping pills. The doctors come and Mildred denies that she tried to commit suicide. At work, the "Hound" (a machine programmed to kill people) growls at Montag and people at the firehouse get suspicious because hidden in a ventilation grill in his house Montag hides books. He becomes friends with Clarisse and walks with her each day and learns from her.

Quotation: "He was not happy. He was not happy. He said the words to himself. He recognized this as the true state of affairs. He wore his happiness like a mask and the girl had run off across the lawn with the mask and there was no way of going to knock on her door and ask for it back" (12).

Quotation Significance: For a long time Montag thought that he was happy. He hadn't really thought about it but he knew that this had to be the case. But when he really thought about it he realized that he wasn't at all. This is part of the first steps for Montag to find his true happiness.

Reflection: As you can see, this society that Montag lives in is a very twisted and sad society. The fireman are assigned to burn books, and Montag is one of them. But we know that he is against this because we discover that he does in fact have some books hidden in his ventilation grill at his house. The Hound senses this, and because the Hound can't sense or do anything it isn't programmed to do leads Montag to believe that someone might know about the books or have suspicions about him. Because of this, the firechief becomes suspicious of Montag. Montag also meets Clarisse. Clarisse is known as an outcast, and also no longer attends school. All the schoolchildren murder each other and commit violent acts for fun. Underneath the fake "happy" feeling in this society that is enforced, everyone is sad and angry. Montag looks at things and thinks a bout things he never even noticed before when he is with Clarisse. She tells him how the world used to be and Montag realizes how bad the world is now and how it needs to change. I think next, Clarisse will disappear or die leaving Montag to start a revolution to end the terrible society they live in and reestablish the old ways.

Discussion Question: Why is the Hound suspicious of Montag, and who programmed the Hound to act this way? What do you think will happen Clarisse?