What really happened to Clarisse, did she die, did they throw her in jail, or did she just move away. In the book Mildred thinks Clarisse was run over by a car but I think something different happened. I think Clarisse was thrown in jail. I think they would throw Clarisse in jail because the society they live in seems to be very protective of what the people say and do. I believe word got out about Clarisse and people started to get nervous around her. When people don't like something, the people in authority do what ever they can to change that to please the people. An example of how people in authority statisfied the people was when they were chasing Montag and when they couldn't find him they killed an innocent man in place of Montag. That's what I think happend to Clarisse.

I think that Clarisse may have been burned. She obviously changed Montag's mind about his outlook on books. So I believe that Clarisse may have owned books herself and the firemen knew about it and came and burned her house with her in it, just like the old lady. Montag wouldn't have known about this because when the houses are burnt, you can't tell because the house is fireproof and the firemen only burn the insides.

I think there is no point in trying to pinpoint the reason for Clarisse's disappearing. She is gone, and that is not concept challenged for the rest of the novel. The point is that she is gone, but she represents something more than just a personage. She is a symbol. I think Clarisse is in some ways a symbol of Montag's sanity. When Clarisse leaves, Montag sort of snaps and becomes a different person. His short interaction with her changes him more than anything else in his life. A few conversations and Montag will never be the same. So again, Clarisse is gone, but the point is not how she died, but what she left behind: a new Montag.

Although I definetly agree with Sica, Clarisse's disappearence is also an example of how fake or superficial their society is. Their society is nothing more than when kids make conversation during a passing period in high school..."so what class are you going to next." As if the person asking the question has absolutely any interest in the person's response. The question is simply a means of passing time. Everyone in this society is too busy doing "nothing" to build relationships with people or even take notice of who their neighbors are or who anyone is outside of their own home. Her disappearence is almost immediately forgotten.

I think Clarisse did die by getting hit by a car because it would be ironic. She talked all the time about how billboards used to be only 20 feet long but now everyone drives by so fast that they have to be 200 feet long. She also says that no one probably even remembers what grass or flowers are. So I think it is totally possible for her to have been hit by a car just because she always complained about how the people would drive.

A point left ambiguous in the book and handled differently in the movie and play.

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