Herald Archetype in Fahrenheit 451 Essay Example

The Herald Archetype is most often a character that gives the main protagonist motivation to act or change, according to knowyourarchetypes.com. Many authors use this archetype in dystopian novels to help the main character realize the problem and give them reason to change things. This is just like what Ray Bradbury did when creating the character Clarisse. In Ray Bradbury's dystopian novel Fahrenheit 451 Clarisse is the herald Archetype because she gets Montag to realize that changes need to be made to society and she appears early on in the novel.    

Clarisse is the herald archetype in the novel because she shows Montag that things need to change as said in the article “They often act as a call-to-action for the protagonist. One big enough to indicate the stakes involved and motivate them to actually act”(O’Donnell). This proves that many herald archetypes encourage the main character to change himself or things around him. Clarisse talks to Montang and makes Montag think about the way he just brushes by important things in life and gets him to stop and think, “″‘Bet I know something else you don’t. There’s dew on the grass in the morning.’ He suddenly couldn’t remember if he had known this or not, and it made him quite irritable”(Bradbury). This demonstrates Clarisse being the herald archetype because with simple comments like these Clarisse gets Montag to stop and think about the situation he is in and realize that he has become so oblivious to the events taking place. 

Another reason why Clarisse is the herald archetype is because she is in the novel right from the start. In the article it explains that most heralds appear in the beginning of the novel, “The herald archetype is the force in the story, usually in the first act”(Marsh). In the novel “The autumn leaves blew over the moonlit pavement in such a way as to make the girl who was moving there seem fixed to a sliding walk, letting the motion of the wind and the leaves carry her forward”(Bradbury5). This shows that Clarisse is the herald archetype because she had an effect on Montag even from the very beginning when she entered the book. She was influencing Montag from the first time they met.

In Fahrenheit 451 Clarisse is the herald because she passes on her passion that changes need to be made to society to Montag and she is in the book from the start. Clarisse shows Montag a form of light in his world of darkness, she shows him the joy and happiness he could have if he escaped society. She sets him on a route of change and true happiness which is one reason why she is the herald. Clarisse also starts to change Montag right from the beginning of the book. She enters the book right from the beginning which is what most heralds do. Which is why Clarisse is the herald in Fahrenheit 451.