#4 SETTING

Pg 91-92
The way the clouds moved aside and came back, and the way the stars looked, a million of them swimming between the clouds, like the enemy discs, and the feeling that the sky might fall upon the city and turn it to chalk dust, and the moon go up in red fire; that was how the night felt.

Guy Montag walks out of Faber's house onto the dark street and he is a little bit different from the Guy Montag that morning. Now, he has a plan. Other than to burn books and homes and the several people who choose to die with their books, Montag has something that he wants to accomplish in this world, something he wants to live for, and maybe die for. However it is still the beginning. Montag's desires are not strong enough to be able to stand against the harsh winds alone. In this sentence, the setting portrays a picture of the sky Montag is walking under, but it is framed by his mind and the way he feels. He is physically and mentally under a dark, black sky with ghost-like clouds, threatening stars, and a burning moon. He says he feels as if this sky will fall on him, crush him, and "turn it to chalk dust." Montag is not sure of anything yet. It is a shaky beginning and the future does not look too bright. In the midst of all the fog, Montag is not even sure about where his next step will take him, and even if he should take that step or not.

This passage is memorable to me because of the way the author uses the setting to help readers feel with the main character, and by helping readers to relate with the main character, sense the mood and tone of the passage and of the author's voice.