In the novel Fahrenheit 451, firehouse captain Beatty remarks, “ Someone’s writing a book on tobacco and cancer of the lungs? The cigarette people are weeping ? Burn the book. Serenity, Montag. Peace, Montag.”(Bradbury 57). In other words, he believes that if controversial or uncomfortable issues are eliminated from society, in turn, the public will be happy. The world of Fahrenheit 451 reflects this greatly, in which many people are unhappy, but choose to sweep their troubles under the rug rather than face them head on. They use gadgets like TV parlor rooms, Seashell ear thimbles, and payed actors to drown out their sorrows. Driving down the road at 95 mph they don't only speed towards their destinations, but away from their distress. When …show more content…
In other words, Clarisse embodies joy because she fearlessly talks about things that in any other case would be considered awkward. For example, while walking back home, Clarisse remarks, “ Are you happy?”(Bradbury 7). Her question is simple, yet for some reason it leaves Montag bewildered. This quote is significant because it paves the way for a new outlook on his life. In other words, Clarisse’s question leads Montag to finding that he is actually very unhappy with his current existence. Although this idea brings him great pain at first, it later becomes his own motivation for searching for happiness in the forbidden texts he once burned with ease. Clarisse herself is happy for these same reasons. Rather than spending her whole life avoiding the unknown , she stops to pay attention to the real issues in her life. Her broken down school system, how people move too fast, and how when the people finally talk, they say nothing of importance are all things that catch her eye. She always makes sure to approach Montag and get his input. Based off this, it can be concluded that Bradbury’s goal was to push that you can't be happy without confronting what makes us uncomfortable, just like