Fahrenheit 451 - Monologue (Clarisse POV)

Monologue

[Picks up dandelion]

When I was young, it wasn’t hard for me to sense what was right or wrong. That was because I have a family who helped make me the person who I am now..

[Rubs dandelion on chin]

17 and crazy.

[Buries dandelion and walks deeper into the forest]

I find it weird that people wondered what was wrong with me, but I also wondered the same question: “what’s wrong with you?” I thought talking to each other was normal because my family liked talking to each other, but apparently it isn’t. Am I the weird one..?

[Looks up at the moon]

There is always more to the parlor walls, Fun Parks, Car Wrecking places my classmates go to. There are more things to look at and smell than gas and smoke. More to see than car wrecks and actors. There’s nature, animals.. the moon.

Apparently, I’m the odd one and antisocial to them. But that doesn’t matter since I like being different. But what about the past? When things weren’t like this?

[Walks towards a tree, sitting under it, picking up a fallen autumn leaf]

Too bad it's too late in the night to collect butterflies, but watching the leaves sway in the wind is also nice to look at.

[Drops of rain fall onto her face and hands]
[She tries to drink the rainwater, but there are barely any droplets for her to taste]

Sometimes I just sit and think about anything, really. Like the concept of socializing.. Social and antisocial. Social to me means talking to people about things, but that’s called being antisocial to them. I don’t think it's social to get a bunch of people together and then not talk, or even ask any questions at all, you know?

[A few fireflies comes near]

Ah, fireflies! They are wonderful creatures, providing light during the night in groups.. I know those police helicopters do about the same job, but these bugs buzz and fly in peace.

[A gust of wind blows against her hair]

I wish people could be a little different. For me, I can’t stay indoors all day and watch TV or go to Fun Parks to listen to loud music. There should be some peace and tranquility in our lives too..

In fact, the people my age scare me, no one has regard for their own or other’s lives. Everyone around me is either shouting or dancing around like wild animals or bullying each other. My uncle’s grandfather said he remembered a time where kids didn’t hurt each other. That was a long time ago, though.

[Jets roar high above the sky as they pass by]

What happened to our world?