In my opinion the purpose of Clarisse's death was
three-fold.
1. Clarisse had to die because she was all that
remained of what we readers understand as good. This is a dystopian novel.
Thus, for us to find the society as completely dysfunctional, we needed to see that one
lasting piece of truth and goodness destroyed. This spurs our passion to
act once the reading is done.
2. Clarisse's death only
further perpetuates the motives of Montag to seek out and either liberate the society or
himself from the society. When he learns of the typical way she might have died, it
enrages his drive to continue his journey.
3. This is a
little off topic, but I think very relevant. My students often read into Clarisse as a
potential love interest for Montag. For her to have continued to exist, readers might
lose sight of what Bradbury was really trying to point out. He had no intention in
commenting on romance and how it develops. His intentions had to do with making society
think about the fact that technology and the absence of reading can destroy us unless we
are careful.
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