The novel “ relentlessly violent” by Ray Bradbury depicts a futuristic society where all books are banned and burned. This society, however, is disrupted when Guy Montag, a fireman who burns books for a living, is drawn toward books after his encounter with a young girl. Ray Bradbury’s exaggerated world argues that a society lacking critical thinking skills is a tragedy. His argument, however, is not entirely convincing as the text emphasizes how the people in the book blindly absorb information through the parlor walls. Though this is unfortunate, humans have different opinions and perspectives on the status quo, challenging and analyzing from different perspectives. At the start of the book we are introduced to the character Clarisse, who is set to act as a “catalyst” for Montag. As she awakens his deep thoughts and the importance of critical thinking, Clarisse disrupts Montag’s daily life, making him ponder in deep thoughts. Clarisse is seen as a person who has a huge impact on Montag. She provokes his thoughts by asking questions like “Let’s talk …show more content…
They are described to be absorbing the media like the rest of society; an exception occurs as Montag confronts them by reading the poem Dover Beach. After reading Dover Beach, Mrs. Phelps breaks down in tears as her cries “grow very loud. [and] her face squeezed out of shape.” (Bradbury. PDF 115 -. Mrs. Phelps acts as a great example, showing that intellectual and emotional connections are still possible even when society’s critical thinking is believed to be suppressed. Bradbury’s depiction of this scene leads the reader to further question his claim: society’s beliefs are mindless and monotonous. His portrayal of Mildred’s friends having a series of reactions to the poem counters his claim that there are outliers who are capable of thinking for themselves and experiencing the intended emotions of certain