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Second, Mildred escalates Montag’s inner war, by often antagonizing and betraying him. Throughout the novel, Mildred shows extremely bossy and inconsiderate qualities which eventually cause problems with Montag. Mildred’s attitude towards Montag play a part in Montag’s brewing internal war. For example, when Montag was sick, he asked, “"Will you turn it (the parlor) off for a sick man?" "I'll turn it down." She went out of the room and did nothing to the parlour and came back. "Is that better?”(23). Bradbury highlights the problems between Mildred and Montag by displaying their lack of affection. In addition, Montag’s problems with Mildred also correlate with the war. For example, when Mildred was overdosing on sleeping pills, jet bombers …show more content…
Bradbury also uses war references when Montag gets to know Mildred’s friends. When Montag finally meets them, he asks, "When do you suppose the war will start?" he said. "I notice your husbands aren't here tonight?” (90). This quote is used to foreshadow future problems because Montag is about to blow up at the women at the table. This point is also the igniter to more serious problems with Mildred. In the novel, Mildred is shown to care more for her friends than her actual husband. Once Montag confronts Bradbury incorporated this quote to foreshadow what was coming. Lastly, When Mildred turns Montag in, Montag’s inner war accelerates as well. Mildred’s betrayal was a key point in the novel. Once Montag talks to Mildred’s friends about their view on politics, social issues, etc, he realizes that his ambition to convince a society is nearly impossible. Montag ultimately blows up at the women, causing more issues for the future. In addition, the overdose also escalates Montag’s inner war because this makes him question his marriage. Bradbury correlates Montag’s problems with Mildred to the
As stated in the ‘Roles of Women in the 1950s, by a home economics textbook published in 1954,’ This time called for… “loving wives who supported their husbands emotionally. Divorce was cause for shame, even though not every couple was happy. Pressure to conform (for men to be good “company men” and women to be perfect housekeepers and mothers) caused stress for both sexes.” Mildred may be seen as happy however if we further analyze the text she may not be. In the first part of the story it seems odd that Mildred, although a complete airhead could down 30 sleeping pills and had no idea that she did. This again as discussed in the Feminist Literary Theory makes a woman in literature seem less intelligent than their counterpart. However it could be argued that Mildred popped these pills unhappy but has no way to show it. In this dystopian society as well as the 1950s when the book was written is was a woman's job to be happy or at least pretend to be. In the story she states that she is proud of the life she has with her husband and that she is satisfied. Now just like in the 1950s the ideal woman would be there too smile and welcome her husband home from a long day at work, Mildred is the ideal woman in her society as well. Lastly, the plumbers when ‘fixing’ Mildred after she downed all the pills said this happens all the time, we
She does not express her views of the world since she spends her days watching and “communicating” with the parlor walls. Because of this, she is very forgetful of personal events and careless of others. Bradbury 40, Montag thinks back to when he and Mildred first met. “The first time we met, where was it and when?” “Why it was at-” She stopped. “I don't know,” she said. Also in Bradbury 49, Mildred states, “..let me alone. I didn't do anything,” as Montag shares his book conflict. This shows how Mildred lacks in thinking and considering the feelings of others. Therefore, she is the opposing side of the theme of the
Mildred has found a book under Montag's pillow and is trying to tell officer Beatty to get Montag in trouble. This quote states how mildred is like a robot “ Her mouth moved and she way saying something but the sound covered it.” This quote shows how society wants no books around. She was trying to tell officer Beatty that montag has a book. This society changed people to try and get people with different mindsets in trouble. It’s obvious that the government controls what the citizens think. The society they live i wants people to see books as threats meaning bad for someone to own them. This explains why mildred acts so robotic she is basically controlled by the government.
Montag's thinking and morals changed throughout this story a plentiful of times, how did it exactly change? Montag tells his feeling about books and how he had changed in his mind set to his wife Mildred. “We need not to be let alone. We need to be really bothered once in a while. How long is it since you were really bothered? About something important and about something real” (Guy Montag 49). Without being bothered in ones life, life would be boring and everything would be dull. Guy
Within the many layers of Montag lay several opposite sides. For example, Montag is a fireman who burns books for a living but at home, spends time reading novels, poetry, and other written material. Although Montag could be called a hypocrite, he does not enjoy both the reading and the burning at the same time; he goes through a change that causes him to love books. Humans have the power to change and grow from one extreme to another, sometimes for the better and sometimes for the worse. In addition, when Mildred is with Montag, Montag does not have feelings for her but thinks of her as she is killed by the bombs. He possesses both the knowledge that Mildred does not love him and the heart that truly cares, but he knows not how to deal with this. His feelings are oppressed; it takes a major event (the bomb) to jolt them from hibernation.
I believe that the characters Beatty and Mildred were catalysts for Montag’s awakening in Fahrenheit 451. Beatty was responsible for tempting Montag with the idea of reading books, and so he is the main reason that Montag grows a hunger of knowledge for themes and ideas of literature. Mildred is also a reason for the awakening of Montag, because she was his wife but had no emotional ties for him, so instead of having love from his wife he decided to search for love in other places resulting in a love of
Mildred sounded the book alarm in her home, avenging Montag for not loving her and for putting her in danger (page 108). While Montag was hiding his secret library, he showed it to his wife, Mildred. Since libraries and books are illegal, Mildred felt unsafe. One day while Montag was at work, Mildred rang the alarm in their house, which called the firemen. Montag and the firemen came rushing to the house, not knowing it was Montag’s. Montag ended up burning his own house down, piece by piece, with a flamethrower.
Beatty’s speech explains why Mildred acts the way she does, which had started to become a mystery for Montag, She acts in ways that are robotic, or self-centered, or unfeeling. Beatty’s speech explains the reason
Mildred is not just self-centered, she is also unfeeling. For example she forgot to tell Montag that clarisse had died, and didn’t seem fazed at all. She is also robotic. When captain Beatty came to talk to Montag, Montag had asked her to leave the room. She did angrily, but she still did as she was told.
The third reason why Mildred is a bad wife if because she doesn’t have a heart. Everyone feels the lost if someone you know died. Montag just realized that he’s been killing people for the wrong reason. People whose only offense is reading books, and killing an innocent soul is no different than being a murderer. She doesn’t care that people died. She doesn’t give a crap that her husband is a murderer. “She means nothing to me!” are the exact words that she used because she only cares about herself.
Montag defines, “her face was like a snow-covered island upon which rain might fall, but it felt no rain; over which clouds might pass their moving shadows, but she felt no shadow” (13). Montag is describing how Mildred appears to him every day. This quotation proves that without books and knowledge (guidance) people in the society are unhappy, but they believe technology such as “parlor families” have the ability to keep them happy. Mildred symbolizes her society. This quotation supports depression in the society because the story clearly shows that the people are not pleased. Evidence is the fact that Mildred tried to commit suicide. If she were happy with her life and their society she would not have thought about committing suicide. “You took all the pills in your bottle last night” (19). Books not being a part of the society created a society in which everything is bad, a frightening place in the world. Mildred’s society is a dystopian society where everyone who does not have knowledge is suffering depression, they are devastating. Another example that proves that citizens in the society are depressed is when Montag feels that Captain Beatty wanted to die because he did not even try to move and purposely let Montag kill him. Evidence for the text is “he lay where he had fallen and sobbed, his legs folded, his face pressed blindly to
...iety too, as seen in Mildred’s friends. Mrs. Phelps and Mrs. Bowles are similar to Mildred, they say they voted on the last president simply for his looks. They don’t care about any of the important qualities only the superficial ones. Montag is further shocked when they talk so nonchalant about the war and their family’s, saying “(Insert quote here” (Bradbury ). This in addition, proves that not only is television addictive but can desensitize you from earthly troubles. Television allows you to step into a different world, and when Mildred’s friends are forced to come back from it, they cry and are angry. Montag forced them to comfort their disgraceful dismal of family ethics, decline of the upcoming war, and neglect of the high rates of suicide in their society.
Bradbury had used a literary device such as imagery. Montag had described the machine used on Mildred, he had said “They had this machine. They had two machines really. One of them slid down into your stomach like a black cobra down an echoing well looking for all the old water and the old time gathered there (14)”. Mildred has pumps inserted into her body that goes down her stomach. Badbury has gave the machine animal like qualities.The pumps were given the animal like quality such as a snake. Montag had described the whole process of how the machine is supposed to clean out all the pills from her body system. Imagery is also shown in this quote "Will you turn the parlour off?" he asked. "That's my family (4)". This quote is explaining how important the parlour is to him. the parlous is described as “family”. Montag doesn't show love because montag doesn't really know what love actually is, because throughout the book he seemed very emotionless towards his wife. Montag had talked about how it wouldn’t have a drastically affect him if his wife ever passed. It shows how technology has become a bigger importance to society than people the actual people in it. Montag went in his room and imagined “Without turning on the light he imagined how this room would look. His wife stretched on the bed uncovered, cold...There had been no night in the last two years that Mildred had not swum that sea, had not gladly gone down ...
Some characters like Montag did not succumb to the ignorance of society. Unlike Mildred characters like Montag believed in the power books and knowledge. Montag was once like Mildred until he met Clarisse; his neighbor. Clarisse was different from anyone Montag had ever met. She made him question his career, his happiness and even his marriage. After talking to Clarisse, Montag realizes he’s been ignorant for his whole life and begins a dangerous search for knowledge. After eventually stealing a book and reading it Montag realized that knowledge is really important. Books symbol knowledge because they provide their readers with information they did not know prior to opening the book. Montag no longer believed that ignorance was bliss “”. Through Montag’s fight for knowledge Bradbury is able to help the readers to understand that people are afraid of knowledge because they fear making mistakes. “You’re afraid of making mistakes. Don’t be. Mistakes can be profited by” says Faber (Bradbury 104). Knowledge is gained from experience. The best and worst sides of Montag were revealed during his journey because he made mistakes and learned from them. At the end of the novel Montag like readers comes to the realization that knowledge and experiences is the true meaning of life.
Of all characters, Bradbury uses Mildred Montag to effectively portray the idea that the majority of society has taken happiness as a refuge in nothing but passive, addictive entertainment. She immediately reveals her character early in the book, by saying, “My family is people. They tell me things: I laugh. They laugh! And the colors!” (73). Mildred is describing her parlors, or gigantic wall televisions, in this quote. Visual technological entertainment is so important in her life that she refers them to as “family,” implying the television characters as her loved ones. By immersing herself in an imaginary world, Mildred finds herself able to relate to fake characters and plots, giving her a phony sense of security. This is necessary for her to achieve her shallow happiness, or senseless plain fun, as she lifelessly watches other people in her walls with a senseless mind. Her family in real life only consists of Guy Montag, her husband, whom she has no fond feelings about. Montag is so frustrated with Mildred because of her inability to express feelings for ...