Clarisse was obviously an important character in the book but what if she never spoke to Montag? Would Montag ever have quit being a fireman and believe what's in books? I think that Montag would still remain a fireman because when Clarisse spoke to Montag it really made him think and question the stuff he believes in. If Clarisse never spoke to him, Montag would never have questioned his life and would still remain a fireman. You could tell that before Montag talked to Clarisse he really seemed to love and enjoy his job. So I think if Clarisse never spoke to Montag, he would still be the same person and have the same job.

I absolutely agree with you. Clarisse played a major factor in forcing Montag to change his mind about what he does and go against what him and his colleagues were doing. She was the one who first brought the idea into Montag's head to realize the importance of books. Montag not meeting her would change nothing in his life. Without Clarisse, this story would be NOTHING like what it turned out to be at all!

If Clarisse never spoke to Montag that night i don't think that Montag's life would have changed like it did. If you recall, Montag became very disturbed when Clarisse asked him "are you happy." I think that when clarisse asked him that is where his life actually changed in the book. But if Clarisse would have never met Montag that night i think that he still would have been a fireman and would have never taken those books from the old lady's house because he wouldn't be questioning himself if he was happy.

Great question, andrejam000. It's really making me think. I know Clarisse definitely was the catalyst for Montag's change, but I'm a great believer in destiny. I can't help but feel something else would have come along, whether it be a person or an event, that would have eventually led to the same conclusion. He was inherently unhappy, and I think something had to give sooner or later.

Clarisse was one of the most important characters because she started the domino effect that occurs in Montag, which is the whole point of Fahrenheit 451. It all started with the question �Are you happy?� which made him question his life and profession. Clarisse�s talks about her uncle�s stories of how the world was in the past made Montag question the lifestyle and morals of his world. Clarisse is very much like the ghost of Christmas past in Charles Dickens� A Christmas Carol. They both seemed to be insignificant characters that didn�t appear in the book, relatively, for a long time, but, as we see later in the book, her small actions take an enormous effect on the main character and the people around him. She was a unique misfit child that was in her own world that yearned for the past. Without her there would be no story or book.

Montag never would have experienced change if he had never met Clarisse. Montag�s personality would not have changed, nor would his way of thinking. Clarisse opened Montag�s mind to a whole new world that he never knew existed. Clarisse opened Montag�s mind to knowledge. Montag would not have realized that books were so important. He never would have started to read. He would have continued about his daily life as a book destroyed rather tan a �rememberer�.

I think if Clarisse never met Montag, Montag would have been different. He would be the same person he became with Clarisse. He would have been fine because Clarisse made him think, she asked him if he was happy he really started to think about it and thats when things began to change.