Three Ways Divided

by Writing-and-Music

A short poem containing Montag's feelings towards his wife, Mildred and the strange girl across the street, Clarisse. (This was written for a school project, and the lines with page numbers following are quotes taken from the book! I take no credit for the lines that have a page number following them. All the rest with no page number are my thoughts and writing!)

Three Ways Divided

[Clarisse] was always so dark and shining and alive (pg. 6)

So much that Montag always felt as if he said something wonderful. (pg. 6)

Impossible; for how many did you know who refracted your own light to you? (pg. 11)

What incredible power of identification the girl had. (pg. 11)

Queer ones like her didn't happen often. (pg. 60)

[Mildred] was like a body displayed on the lid of a tomb, (pg. 12)

her eyes fixed up to the ceiling by invisible threads of steel, immovable. (pg. 12)

Her face was like a snow-covered island upon which rain might fall, (pg. 13)

but felt no rain. (pg. 13)

[Clarisse] was different, (pg. 60)

beautiful (pg. 10)

antisocial (pg. 60)

a bomb, (pg. 60)

Dead. (pg. 47)

[Clarisse] asked if he was happy while [Mildred] watched her 'family' in the parlor,

and [Montag] waited for Mildred to turn his way and see him. (pg. 47)

They could not touch through the glass. (pg. 47)

[Mildred] understood the subject of herself while Clarisse's favorite subject was everyone else (pg. 72)

She was the first person who Montag ever really liked in many good years (pg. 72)

She was the first person who looked straight at him (pg. 72)

and made him feel as if he counted. (pg. 72)

Clarisse awoke something within him that Mildred never did.

That Mildred never could.

Montag stood with his chest split apart and heart bleeding, but Mildred never took the seashells out of her ears to notice.

Then Mildred left.

She left,

without a word,

as if fire burned under her feet. (You - Keaton Henson)

Clarisse left too.

Clarisse left with headlights being the last thing she would see, and her body mangled on the side of the road.

No one cared.

No one noticed.

"I forgot" is what Mildred had said. (pg. 47)

But Montag cared.

Montag noticed.

Clarisse died, leaving her words and thoughts with Montag.

She was like a book.

She held carefully thought out plans and spontaneous words and brought out too many emotions in people.

She terrified people.

She delighted them.

Just like a book, Clarisse was,

and Montag loved her for it.

Most of this are lines from the book Fahrenheit 451, just paraphrased, and the page numbers come after the lines, so I do not take any credit for them. However, the lines that do not have any page numbers beside them are my own thoughts and writing. This was written for a class project, but I am really proud of it so I decided to put it on here to keep. If anyone reads it, I hope you liked it!