Excellence

"He saw himself in her eyes, suspended in two shining drops of bright water, himself dark and tiny, in fine detail, the lines about his mouth, everything there, as if her eyes were two miraculous bits of violet amber that might capture and hold him intact. Her face, turned to him now, was fragile milk crystal with a soft and constant light in it. It was not the hysterical light of electricity but - what? But the strangely comfortable and rare and gently flattering light of the candle. One time, as a child, in a power failure, his mother had found and lit a last candle and there had been a brief hour of rediscovery, of such illumination that space lost its vast dimensions and drew comfortably around them, and they, mother and son, alone, transformed, hoping that the power might not come on again too soon ..."
- Ray Bradbury, Fahrenheit 451

Simply put, Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury is one of my favorite books. In this passage I believe that Bradbury paints a wonderful description of a memory, full of emotion. As Montag looks into Clarisse's eyes, the reader is given a description, greatly utilizing imagery, that is something beyond telling a memory. In the passage, the reader is given the opportunity to experience a short glimpse into the childhood of the protagonist and experience a place of privacy, intimacy, and emotion. With this one passage Montag is given characteristics that make him feel like more than just a character, but more of a being with experiences and the feelings that go with them. In doing this he creates a character that grows with the book and one that the reader can truly make a connection with. In doing this, Bradbury has written what I believe is truly good storytelling.