Happiness In Fahrenheit 451

According to Storm Jameson, “Happiness comes of the capacity to feel deeply, to enjoy simply, to think freely, to risk life, to be needed.” Jameson suggests that happiness is not just having fun, but it is to be present in the moment and to make connections with others. Happiness is rarely found in the novel Fahrenheit 451, because this joyless society defines “fun” as driving with the need for speed and with an intention of killing small animals or people or the deadening white noise of endless television viewing. The novel Fahrenheit 451 conveys this very idea as the protagonist Guy Montag and others in his society are unable to achieve full happiness. Author Ray Bradbury suggests the truth of Jameson’s statement primarily through the

Clarisse tries to spread her happiness to Montag, who was under the spell like the rest of society of mixing fun with happy, by making him aware of his lack of joy. Early in the book Clarisse question Montag’s happiness, which allowed him to understand that he is truly not happy with his life. Later in the book when Montag opens a book and reads “‘That favorite subject, Myself’”(64), Mildred answers that she understands and agrees. Montag realizes that this doesn’t apply to Clarisse “But Clarisse's favourite subject wasn't herself. It was everyone else, and me... She was the first person I can remember who looked straight at me as if I counted." (64). Montag wants to be happy, like Clarisse, and when he is discussing this book with Mildred he realised, because of the dramatic difference between the two foil characters, he most feel deeply about others over himself to achieve happiness. Earlier in the book, when Montag is walking with Clarisse, He realized that she is different then most other people in their society. While most kids would be in school or watching “The Walls”, like Mildred, Clarisse is always walking around outside. Clarisse says “I tell them that sometimes I just sit and think”(21). Montag realizes when he is trying to find happiness that Clarisse just enjoyed life simply and thought freely and

Beatty In the novel is viewed to be the figurehead of society and its laws. One of the first fires that Montag appears at in the book is when Beatty let a woman kill herself to be with her books. Montag views Beatty as someone who doesn’t favors one's life or why people live or die. Like the women in the burning house Faber understands the meaning of life when he said “‘I don't talk things, sir,’ said Faber. ‘I talk the meaning of things. I sit here and know I'm alive.’”(66). Like the lady Faber understands that with the absence of happiness people are not living which is a concept that Beatty didn’t express in the novel. Faber and this woman teaches Montag the importance of to risk life to be happy. Deepier in the novel when Montag is trying to find help to interpret books and find happiness he goes to a man which he only meets once. Montag says “There was nowhere to go, no friend to turn to, really. Except Faber.”(110) Montag has worked for Beatty for years and yet he is willing to run to a person's house that he has meet once. Faber, unlike his foil character, show the feeling to be need to montag and shows him happiness. Later in the novel when Montag has learn what happiness is he risks his life to help Faber and also killed Faber’s foil character,