Montag returns home with the stolen book and finds out Clarisse has been killed

Summary

On the trip back to the station, Beatty tells Montag that the old woman's quote came from Nicholas Ridley in the sixteenth century. He and Hugh Latimer were burned at the stake as heretics.

Returning home, Montag hides the book under his pillow. He feels the distance between him and his wife very acutely. On an impulse, Montag asks Mildred whether she remembers where they had first met; she cannot recall the place or the circumstances. Montag then asks Mildred if she has heard anything about Clarisse. She responds that the girl was run over and killed by a car four days ago. Her family has since moved away.

Shocked at the news, Montag goes outside, where he senses something moving around. He notices a shadow with greenish luminescent smoke around it; he thinks it may be the Mechanical Hound.

Notes

This section further builds the tension of the plot. Beatty is again portrayed as a fearful character. The fact that he knows who originally spoke the old woman's quote reveals that he is a well- read man. It is very disturbing that he has experienced the enlightening power of books and has still dedicated himself to the destruction of them. Additionally, his repeated inferences and questioning looks arouse both Montag's fear and the reader's suspicion that something bad is going to happen.

There are several other elements of suspense in this section. Montag begins to feel that he is out of control, changing more than he would like to do. The theft of the old woman's book was like a compulsion that he had no power to stop; it was as if his hand acted on its own. But once the book was under his shirt, he knew he would keep it. He takes it home and hides it under his pillow. The impact of his actions will be shown later in the novel.

With his changed attitude, Montag feels more than ever before the distance between Mildred and himself, and it pains him. Millie, as always, does not seem bothered by anything. She has not noticed any changes in her husband, nor is she upset by the fact that neither of them can recollect the place where they had first met. When she tells Montag what has happened to Clarisse, he is totally shocked and immensely disturbed over her death. He is also upset that his wife had forgotten to tell him of the accident that had occurred four days ago. Mildred's indifference towards Montag and Clarisse is painful.

More than ever, Montag needs to feel a closeness to Mildred. He tries to talk to her about his job and then about books. She thinks she is too small-minded to understand Montag's big ideas. She is fearful that he seems to be thinking in an independent way and tells him to quit talking about such things. She then asks to be left alone. Montag goes outside where he feels the presence of something unnamed. He thinks it may be the Mechanical Hound. The mere suggestion of the beast underscores the subtle and dangerous changes in Montag; it is clear that he now has something real to fear. Montag is thinking and harboring books, two actions that are in clear defiance of the law of the land; the closer Montag gets to knowledge, the more danger he is in.

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