In his appeals for civil defiance, Henry Thoreau once emphasized that the greatest regime is one that rules the least. Similarly, in his dystopian work named Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury paints injustice in a world where the government enforces harsh regulations to “defend” the society (Bradbury, 2011). The book describes a community where opinions are censored and the splendor of life is horrific and influenced by the state-run operatives. Further, any fictional effort in this place is outlawed and stimulates unwarranted disputes (Bradbury, 2011). Such is the situation represented in the novel to sensitize the public through a full narrative of the consequences of suppression. The author dislikes the unjust system and cautions the people about the effects of the regressive clampdown. Through various characters, he meticulously passes his objective to the audience. Whereas the novel focuses on Guy Montag, the protagonist, his wife, Mildred, remains a significant individual as presented in the analysis.
First, Mildred is one of the key people who appear to have little optimism in solving her conflicts. Her attempts to commit suicide depict that she was in agony. She is deeply fascinated with television as a way to avert confronting her life. The woman is strongly obsessed with trends in technology, as Bradbury states, “His wife in the TV parlor paused long enough from reading her script to glance up” (Bradbury, 2011). Further, her fascination with trendy technology results in the exploitation of her husband.
Nonetheless, her feelings get buried deep inside and she even appears not to recognize her previous suicide attempts. Mildred is a terrifying character since the audience would anticipate knowing Guy’s wife very closely, but she stays wholly unreadable, distant, and cold. Furthermore, her betrayal of Guy is far graver than Beatty’s because after all, she is his wife. The author also portrays Mildred as a human-like shell, devoid of any earnest emotional, spiritual, or intellectual substance. Surprisingly, her only passionate attachment is devotion to the people she watches in soap opera films.
Second, at the start of the book, Mildred consumes over 30 pills that almost threatened her life. In the mix of events, her husband comes to the rescue, but she insists the situation is a pure accident. Moreover, the plumbers who handle her stomach reveal that they routinely manage such cases, suggesting continuous engagement in suicidal acts. Contrary to her husband, Mildred distances herself from any form of knowledge or even admission of unhappiness. The husband fancies himself into two perspectives to handle the guilt that knowledge carries, while Mildred conceals herself to uphold her obliviousness. When the effects of her husband’s revolt rescind her fantasy space, Mildred exhibits no response.
To summarize, Mildred remains a leading character in Fahrenheit 451. The reader’s initial meeting with her is unpleasant and her attitude becomes bare and disturbing. Even though Guy cares fondly for her, she depicts a person who seems strange and horrifying. As the readers are better acknowledged Guy’s personal life, it becomes apparent that his marriage is deeply flawed. Guy’s wife shows no ambitions past the soap opera movies and other forms of entertainment. Instead, she is deeply attached to technological trends and movies. Her actions represent society in totality: ostensibly superficially happy, profoundly hopeless inside, and inept to cope with or articulate that misery.
References
Bradbury, R. (2011). Fahrenheit 451. [eBook edition]. Penguin Classics.