Clarisse, with all of her light, airy ideas and awed way of viewing life, is set up to be the opposite of the firemen and their destruction. She seems to depict the ideas of light and life. There is also no fear in the way she looks at the world; she is simply amazed by it.
Before Clarisse even shows up in the novel her appearance is forecasted as an important part just waiting to happen. The narrator is able to almost sense her presence when he rounds specific corner each night before he finally stumbles upon her. He describes the atmospher as though the air is charged by a person sitting and quietly waiting for a period of time. He could not understand why he felt that way but he had some sort of feeling as though something important were waiting there for him.
When she actually appears for the first time in the novel, Clarisse makes even more of an impression of lightness and also importance to the narrator's life. Every single way her appearance is described lends itself to the idea that she represents everything that is good about life. Her dark eyes are described as though they make anyone who is looking at them feel as though every word they have to say is the most fascinating and important thing anyone has ever said. Her face appeared to have a gentle hunger as though it would take in anything it possibly could with endless curiosity. It was described as appearing to have a constant light in it, and it appeared to be of the lightest milk crystal. Her dress is described to be white and whispering as she walks, representing peacefulness and tranquility. Every move she makes is graceful and tranquil and leads the reader to believe it is because she is not in any hurry, for she is at peace with life and ready to take on things as they come to her.
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