How would they do?

November 16th, 2006 · 31 Comments
Fahrenheit 451

The ever present iPod

Just thought about this as I awoke from my much needed nap….

From what you know so far, how would the major characters in the book (Beatty, Clarisse, Mildred and Montag) get along in our society? In our modern society of music videos, reality television, and MySpace, how would they do? What would they think?

I’m actually quite excited to see what you guys come up with.

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31 responses so far ↓

1 P.J. // Nov 16, 2006 at 7:59 pm

These characters would, for the most part fit in well in our society. Though they would find the purpose of firefighers odd and they would think that we are rather low-tech. But, they woul feel right at home with all the superficialism that goes on here. Also their mind are plauged by corpo propaganda in the the same way many of ours are today.
2 Breanna // Nov 16, 2006 at 8:02 pm

If this were to happen, I think Clarisse and Montag would just give up because these are just other ways to keep everyone from talking to each other. Everybody would be in the house watching BET or listining to their favorite songs on their new ipods. So instead of only talking about material things to each other they would all become Mildreds. They would all be wrpped up in their T.V families. I also think Mildred and Baetty would love it. For mildred it’s things and people added to her family and to not bother her. For Beatty he’s already given up on trying to change things, he would think it would just help the firmen with their jobs because who wants to read a book when they could watch their T.V shows or when they could listen to their new favorite song . This is just totally like our society. You don’t see kids outside playing and soclializing, you see them watching Yo momma and Wild n’ out and listining to Walk it out remix.Even adults walk around with their ipods instead of meeting other people. I wonder how the world would be if we didn’t have ipods and hit T.V shows or instant messaging. I think people would go crazy because they feel that they need it but in reality it’s just more stuff that we are going to forget about when we get older becuase the next new thing will be coming.
3 David // Nov 16, 2006 at 8:02 pm

I think that Clarisse, Beaty, and Montag would enjoy and not enjoy this society. They would enjoy our society because they wouldn’t have to worry about not being able to read books and they would do there best to gain all the knowledge they could. They wouldn’t enjoy our society because even though they could express themselves freely they would have to deal with all of new technology and it would make them feel like there would be no intellectual thinkers in this society.
I think that Mildred wouldn’t mind living in either society because she would also have her “family” with her.
David
4 P.J. // Nov 16, 2006 at 8:06 pm

Also they say that there are rumors about america playing while the world works. that is how things are now! I just want to point out how amazing it is that Ray wrote a story some 50 years before our time and he basically tells exactly what our society has come to!!(just a little more extreme)
5 Jeremy // Nov 16, 2006 at 10:19 pm

I think they may even look down on us for being so low tech. i dont think they would now the norm of today and not fit in very well and proboably be laughed at and picked on.
Jeremy
6 Yinka // Nov 16, 2006 at 10:24 pm

Well I think that all of them would fit in greatly in our society. There are groups for everyone in America, and our society. Beatty well I think he would be a good politician, Clarisse would make great friends who like nature, and also like to think. For example teens who like enviornmental things. Mildred, well I think she would fit in the most in our society. There are loads of people who love to watch t.v., instead of reading. Lastly Montag would fit in with the caring kind of childish with there own wondering fathers of our society, like they way he cares for Clarisse, and likes to learn.
7 Angelica // Nov 17, 2006 at 1:58 pm

I think that Mildred would fit in perfectly in our society and so would Clarisse and Montag. The reason i think this is because Montag and Clarisse both want to find themselves in society and our society is very fee equipped witrh books and everything. Mildred could just find herself a High Def T.v and an ipod and she’d be set.
8 Taylor // Nov 17, 2006 at 2:11 pm

I think that Montag, Clarisse, Beatty, and Mildred would eventually fit in with our society and with everyone else. Montage would get familiar with how things are done in our society. Clarisse already pretty much knows how things should be done. Mildred would also fit well because if she gets an idea of how thing are done, then she would then begin to practice what she observes everyone else doing, because Mildred is what I would call a “follower”. Beatty would fit in because I do not think that he really enjoys this way of life that he is living because he seems unhappy. He would really get to express his feelings in our society.
9 Aliyah // Nov 17, 2006 at 2:11 pm

I think that Clarisse would be the best personal to fit into our society because she thinks like a modern/normal personal. I think Montag would be the one who would try to understand and fit into the society but still would be use to what he is already use to. I also think that Beatty would fit in like Clarisse because he would probably understan our society but still would act like he didn’t and would act like he was in his own society instead of our society.
10 Victoria // Nov 17, 2006 at 2:12 pm

I think they would fit in our society because they are all types of people now. Beatty would probably be a like the President of the United States. Clarisse would be a park ranger. Mildred would be something and Montag would in college.
11 **Veroinca** // Nov 17, 2006 at 2:14 pm

i THINK THAT IF THEY GREW UP IN OUR SOCIETY IT WOULD BE NORMAL BUT IF THEY CAME FROM THEIR SOCIETY TO THIS THEY WOULD BE SCARED ALL BUT FOR CLARISSE WHO WOULD THINK OF IT AS HER DREAM.
12 Jocelyn // Nov 17, 2006 at 3:54 pm

From what you know so far, how would the major characters in the book (Beatty, Clarisse, Mildred and Montag) get along in our society? In our modern society of music videos, reality television, and MySpace, how would they do? What would they think?

I’m actually quite excited to see what you guys come up with.

I think/ believe that Beatty, Clarisse, and maybe Montag will make it because they have open minds, and I believe that they could survive in any society. Though I also believe that Montag would make it in our society though he may not because he is too nervous and he cannot do anything on his own without having somebody to help him. On the other hand Mildred would not make it in our society because she is too in to her self or stuck up. If she were to make it in our society she would have a hard time doing it!
13 Philip K. // Nov 18, 2006 at 4:47 pm

I think that they would not do good with the exception of Clarisse because in our society we do not consider the computerized people as our family. Also we read books and somewhat observe our surroundings. Mildred would definately be an absoulute outcast, Beatty would be a profesor and Montag would be a real fireman.
14 Kelsey // Nov 18, 2006 at 6:23 pm

I think that Mildered would fit into our society well. She watches TV all of the time and icolates her self from other people. If she were in our world she would probley just watch TV and listen to music insted of talking to somebody.
I think that Montag and Beatty would fit in the world OK. They are not obsesed with the TV as Mildred but they would fit in with other people in our society. I do not think that Clarisse could fit in to our society. NOt many people just sit and talk about “real” things. She would not have many people to talk to but she would be abe to read books, which I think she would like.
15 Yazrian // Nov 18, 2006 at 6:58 pm

I think the characters in F451 could get along well because not alot of people today read unless they have to, at least in my age group. So not being able to read would’nt be a big deal because the so-called answers montag is looking for could easily be found by typing his question into google, ask jeeves, or one of the many other question answering search engines. Mildred I think would be the only person who wouldnt get along becasue she would seem weird and boring to other people becasue she sits home all day and watches, and she wouldnt know this because in her life style that was as normal as not reading books.
16 Alec // Nov 18, 2006 at 8:58 pm

I think that they would be suprised, and overjoyed at the same time by this new, and different society, in their minds, after experienceing their old world it would be like a Utopia to them. I guess it ws like that sayin ” it always lokks better on the other side” or osme thing like that, mesaning, you can never have a utopia, just imagine one in your mind.
17 Randy // Nov 18, 2006 at 10:29 pm

Out of all of the main characters, I think that Clarisse and Montag would best fit in in our society because Clarisse already thinks and acts like someone living in our society today, and Montag would learn as he lives in our society like he is in the book. Beatty would probably be okay in our society but I dont think he would like the fact that books are still around. Mildred might be able to fit in to our society because she watches too much TV, but since alot of people in our society are intellectual, are very active, and take advantage of their lives, she wouldn’t fit in well.
18 Emmanuel // Nov 18, 2006 at 10:50 pm

I think that the others might look at our society as being strange. They would think we were inferior because of our “low-tech” society. I think that Clarisse would fit in the best because she is sort of a person who thinks like a person in our society rather than not thinking at all.
19 allen // Nov 19, 2006 at 7:27 am

I think that they wouldent fit well because montag starts fires and our homes arent fireproffed yet. They probley wouldent like the internet becasue it brings people together to communicate. Montag may like our world because he is curious about it and wants to learn more. Clarriase would like it because this is what she wanted the whole time.
20 Allen T // Nov 19, 2006 at 8:36 am

I think Montag, Clarisse and Beatty would get along in today’s society. Clarisse thinks for herself and likes freedom. Montag is curious and would like all of the new technology in our world. Our new world would be new to Beatty, but I think she would be OK with the things we have to offer. Mildred propably would not like our modern society. Mildred likes being isolated from everyone.
21 Malcolm // Nov 19, 2006 at 11:16 am

I think that Beatty, Clarisse, Mildred and Montag would get along in our society because in there society its al about having fun and not really doing anything. So the ipods and television and myspace would pervent them even more to not think.
22 Romel // Nov 19, 2006 at 12:15 pm

i think they would fit in perfectly because in our society there many types of people and and most are allowed. but now that i think of it they are already in our society not literaly but like they have music videos and things like that clarisse would be perfect because she is really curiouse and is really observing i think mildred would fit in perfectly because people in our society are getting farther and farther away from each other like in the book technolegy is seperating us from each other like this blog for example instead of acually talking to you mr kolade you have a blog that is not showing our expressions and our emotions
23 L'eandra // Nov 19, 2006 at 1:31 pm

I think that the charcaters would try to fit in but they can’t. They would have so much freedom they woudln’t know how to handle it. Clarisse would ask so many questions about why things happen and what is the point of it. She would scare people and even cause trouble with her fellow peers beacause she doesn’t like what is going on. Mildred would fit right in with the plastic world. She would be an house wife who wants no kids, doesn’t clean nor cook, and LOVES plastic sugery. The TV shows would have her mind in an confused state and she would became sick and die of an eating disorder. Montag would be an an man who LOVES his job and never wants to come home. And if he does he would bring gifts to Mildred to see if he can talk her out of all the things she has done. He would try to get out of his life by trying to take drugs and drink because all of his fellow buddies do it. And last but not least Beatty i could see as being an teacher. He would kinda remind me of Mr.Kolade in this modren times. He wants to worn us before we get out in the world and get caught up in the money and all that stuff. He would love to read and right and love to help people even though he never shows it in the out side.
24 Amanda // Nov 19, 2006 at 4:36 pm

I think they would adapt to it very well. This is because they are use to just watching t.v. and stuff so since this is what they normaly do they should fit right in.
25 William J. // Nov 19, 2006 at 6:10 pm

Well that’s a “what if?” kinda question. I mean like, Mildred-more than likely she would get involved in that kinda stuff (i.e. music videos, reality television, MySpace, IM, etc.).
Here comes the “what if?” part, what if Clarisse never met Guy, because until Montag met her, he was just like everyone else. Doing the same thing-he could’ve been late for work that one morning and missed that akward encounter with Clarisse. Those thoughts of diversity and difference would’ve never met Montag in his boring bedroom, of his boring apartment, in his boring life. And in that case, Guy wouyld be in the same pool of water as Mildred and everyone else.
Now, Beatty may have diversified himself from all that extra stuff (MySpace, IM, etc.). Although he does what everone else does, he still has a concience. Meaning, he probably knows what he is doing is “wrong” but he does it because he knows it’s what he has to do. To protect the society he lives in.
26 William J. // Nov 19, 2006 at 6:11 pm

And Clarisse, well, she’s her own person so she would do whatever she felt was right or whatever she felt needed to get done.
27 Ian // Nov 19, 2006 at 6:35 pm

i think that every one would be fine with todays society except for mildred. since all mildred does is watch tv it would be hard for her to get used to our tv because ours isnt very interactive. in the future the tvs would say you name and stuff and you could talk to them. but our tvs don’t do that you just watch them.
28 Jordan // Nov 19, 2006 at 6:36 pm

You know, I think it would all depend on what people they were around to determine how they would fit into our society. Mildred would probably just start acting like whoever she was around because in my opinion she seems to be very influenced by her surroundings. I think that Beatty would do just fine, and Montag as well. Clarrise on the other hand, I think that she would have friends but I don’t think that her friends wouldn’t exactly ‘fit in’ with most of the society. But I doubt that she would care at all, since she doesn’t seem to care in the book either.
29 Blair // Nov 22, 2006 at 11:25 am

I think that Mildred would get along just fine in this society today, because she alredy isolates herself from the world with her “family”. i don’t believe that the muscvideos, ipods, Myspace, etc. would really be shocking to her. For Beatty…. I honestly don’t know, maybe he would ban everything. And Montag, I think that he would be intrested to know everything,about the technology we have today. As he is in the book. Montag is like a five year old , if you say don’t touch it only makes him want to touch it more.
30 Neil // Nov 25, 2006 at 4:37 pm

I believe Beatty would fit in well with our society because of his vast knowledge. Bieng a firefighter just wouldn’t match is personality so he would only fit into the society as an intelectual person instead of a fireman. Clarisse wouldn’t fit in because it is obviouse to people now days if someone’s watching them. She also on the other hand can fit in because there is more things for her to observe and she is able to go to school without bieng frieghtend. Montag wouldn’t fit in our society because he wants answers and not questions, and I feel Iour society is based on questions. Mildred on the other hand would fit in society because, like everyone else, she isolates herself from the world with technology.
31 Nia Simmons // Nov 26, 2006 at 8:16 pm

Reading the book it would seem that Clarisse would be that one person who doesn’t have any technology, because she’s too busy talking someones head off. Montag would be that one person who hates all the technological advances, because “No one talks about real things” and ” We need to bothered, beacause blah, blah, blah” you know, all that jazz. Beatty would be the main one advertising technology talking about “it’s the way of the future, yada, yada, yada”. Mildred would be the one with all the newest technology today and maybe some that hasn’t been released yet, and would be in ALL the ipod commercials.

Simple as that.