Quote-Theme-Connection MODEL
Line one: “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.”
Line two: “Are you happy?”
Line three: “Every night the waves came in and bore her off on their great tides of
sound, floating her, wide-eyed, toward morning.”
Connecting theme: Nature
Line one “The autumn leaves ……” connects to the theme of nature by showing
something that is very natural. It’s a young girl and although the world around her
seems fake and is distracting, she experiences things in a natural way, looks at the world
with curious eyes; she demonstrates that to Montag…provides contrast to the rest of
society….
Line two “Are you happy?”connects to the theme of nature because of Montag’s
natural feelings; is it human nature to be happy all the time? So when this line is spoken,
it connects to them, it’s just natural, to ask yourself that question. Nature is
bliss….nature is freedom….connection from the…they’re asking that because it’s natural
not to be happy.
Line three “Every night the waves came in and bore her off on their great tides of sound,
floating her, wide-eyed, toward morning,” connects to the theme of nature because it’s
creating a fake nature, the waves and great tides we connect to ocean, but it’s being
fabricated. It contributes to Mildred and Montag’s thinking that it’s a natural way of life,
but it’s not! Waves, everyone knows they’re natural, he’s trying to connect the woman
to nature, but the author’s making a statement on the “nature” of the character.