"Fahrenheit 451" The Hearth and the Salamander

     In the first part of "Fahrenheit 451" we meet the main character Guy Montag. Guy is a firefighter, but in this book, Montag's job is the opposite of the traditional firefighter we know. The firefighters of "Fahrenheit 451" set fire to books inside fireproof houses instead of putting out fires. Montag meets a peculiar girl, Clarisse McClellan. Clarisse is very different from the typical person of the dystopian society of "Fahrenheit 451", and challenges Montag in a way. She asks Montag about what firefighters did before, and if he is happy. As Montage and Clarisse become friends, Montag seems to loosen up; she litterally gets Montag to stop and smell the roses, or leaves in this case (page 29). Sadly and unexpectedely, Clarisse dies and Montag feels that his daily routine is messed up rather than sad. Montag aslo feels a change in emotions when on one mission to burn books the woman of the house with books stays behind and dies in the fire with her books. This sticks with Montag and constantly nags at him. We then find out he has been hiding books in his own home, and asks his wife to read them with him.
     Through the Hearth and the Salamander we see that the society is not openly challenged. As the story progresses, Clarisse seems to subconsciously challenge the norm of the dystopian style, and Montag with his secret stash of books. Fire is obviously an element of "Fahrenheit 451", but Bradbury uses the element repetedly, even when describing the people (page 33). "Fahrenheit 451" also uses color as symbolism like "The Great Gatsby". Bradbury uses the traditional colors of fire along with the constant use of "darkness" and ash, brass, and other gray scale colors. While the first part shows what the firemen do and how this dystopian society functions, I am very interested in seeing how things got this way.
     So far I have really enjoyed this book, and cannot wait to continue to see how everything will play out.