Entry 3- Who are they?

Who are the main characters in the novel? Do you like them? Why or why not? What is special about them? What do they reveal about the universal human experience?

The main character in this novel in Guy Montag (protagonist), one of the firemen whose jobs are to burn books along with the houses which they were in. In the beginning of the book, there is a description how burning books were pleasurable and how Montag never doubted the fact that books should be burned into ashes. Then, his new neighbor, Clarisse McClellan, who says that she is seventeen and that she is crazy comes into his life and utterly spins his life and changes in which he cannot go back. She does not take a big part in the novel, but I think she is the person who actually created the story to life.

On page eight in the novel, Clarisse says "You laugh when I haven't been funny and you answer right off. You never stop to think what I've asked you." This tells us that in the beginning, Guy Montag was simple-minded, and a outright straightforward type of person. As time passes, he changes as he goes through what Captain Beatty calls 'the itch that you want to scratch', and he starts to be thoughtful unlike his wife, who watches the 'parlor walls' (TV program) to spend most of her time. In my opinion, she is not the most likeable woman. The way how she is quite ignorant of her husband and how she betrays her husband to Captain Beatty is unpleasant to think about. I also think Guy Montag is a person who can easily be influenced , and takes actions immediately when a decision is made.

I have to admit that Clarisse McClellan, is not like my friends or the people that I know well. As she says so herself, she is not a normal person. She loves to look at things and feel the situation around her and smell things. She sometimes stays up all night, walking,and watch the sun rise. I think Clarisse is the girl the most observant person that I have ever heard of and has many thoughts in her mind. On page twenty-nine, she says "I'm antisocial, they say. I don't mix. It's so strange. I'm very social indeed. It all depends on what you mean by social doesn't it? Social to me mean talking to you about things like this. Or talking about how strange the world is. Being with people is nice. But I don't' think it's social to get a bunch of people together and then not let them talk, do you? ... and she rattles on and on. This tells me that she is a truthful and honest person (maybe a bit too honest).

Lastly, there is Captain Beatty, the antagonist. I can tell right away, that he is a person who can almost persuade and influence anybody. His style of language and his way to keep his audience on the edge of their seats is in my opinion, quite extraordinary. Particularly on page 106 and 107, when Beatty is talking to Montag to just forget about books and live without the sadness and difficult feelings that we get when we read books. He confuses Montag while Montag tries to concentrate on the fact that Beatty is wrong which indicates that he is slippery, a bit malicious and witty.

These four characters each put together the story of the life of Montag and the story of the novel. This can be compared to the fact that each each and every one of us have several people who are part of our world and help create our life.