"How like a mirror, too, her face. Impossible; for how many people did you know who refracted your own light to you? People were more often-he searched for a simile, found one in his work-torches, blazing away until they whiffed out. How rarely did other people's faces take of you and throw back to you your own expression, your own innermost trembling thought?
What incredible power of identification the girl had; she was like the eager watcher of a marionette show, anticipating each flicker of an eyelid, each gesture of his hand, each flick of a finger, the moment before it began. How long had they walked together? Three minutes? Five? Yet how large that time seemed now. How immense a figure she was on the stage before him; what a shadow she threw on the wall with her slender body!" (11)
This passage stuck with me when I first read it because of its beautiful clarity. The book is a mix of vivid imagery and striking metaphors, gorgeous and easy to follow. I love his comparison of Clarisse to a mirror; it's so apt, because she makes him really reevaluate himself. As he thinks later, "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). In this "disposable tissue" (17) world, Clarisse is unique because of her openness. Unlike Mildred, Guy's wife, Clarisse asks for nothing except conversation. Her honesty is refreshing. Bradbury's language in this excerpt is amazingly eloquent, and puts into words emotions that are difficult to portray. When Guy remarks that Clarisse is huge on the stage before him, the reader understands that the fireman has undergone a profound shift, one that will define his internal conflict for the rest of the novel.
I agree - this is a powerful passage. I might be looking for it, but I see a lot of "light" images in this section. But although "light," for Montag, can represent destruction through fire, it also represents freedom, enlightenment, release. I like how Bradbury straddles this line between danger and freedom, as it's just like Montag's experience with Clarisse. Brilliant!
ReplyDeleteI forgot how well written Fahrenheit 451 is! Maybe it's just me, but I find it interesting that dystopian novel set in a future where books are burned, is written in such a beautiful way that doesn't get overly dense and flowery. I would expect this book's language to be a bit more barren, maybe even a bit clinical, a reflection of the ideals of the world they live in. Instead passages like this are present leading the reader to believe that Guy wants something more, or sees more in his world. This is such a stark contrast to A Clockwork Orange, where the language is colloquial and rather than rolling off one's togue, it kind of spills out and lands hard on the ear. Like the novel's setting and it's characters, the language is crass (crass isn't the exact word, but it's the only one I can think of right now). I guess what I'm trying to say is that I find the way authors choose to write particular novels is amazing and adds an interesting new dimension to novel and how much style plays into the feeling of the book, like Fahrenheit 451's style compared to A Clockwork Orange.
ReplyDeleteI've never read Fahrenheit 451, but based on this passage and discussions in class, it seems as if Julia from 1984 and Clarisse have similar roles in their respective novels. Both of our main characters, Guy and Winston are introduced as law abiding citizens, or at least hesitant to break the law. In 1984, Julia acts as a catalyst for Winston's rebellion to the Party. As Emilie said, Clarisse is a refreshing change from Guy's shallow wife. Neither Clarisse nor Julia seem like malevolent characters so far, but I can't help but wonder whether they will cause the downfall of our main characters.
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