The Symbols of History and Society: A Glimpse of Fahrenheit 451 In Ray Bradbury’s novel, Fahrenheit 451, he uses the characters as symbols throughout the novel. An accurate representation of anti-socialism is the character Mildred. The Martyr, who is the past. The other character used is Clarisse McClellan; she is the one to make you think, to give you a start. Ray’s purpose in using these characters is as a symbol for the main character, Guy Montag. He uses Montag to notice what society has hidden by dropping these characters into his life. In the novel, Ray uses Mildred in order to convey how brain washing can turn a person’s whole perspective in the way things revolve around them. Like Mildred, many others of their society have been washed into believing that books are horrific, dangerous, bad. The nation has turned into an anti-social community that has been confined to staring at a television set for hours with no interaction. With doing so, most of the people have confronted to depression and even suicide. Mildred is so oblivious that she turns against her own husband, Montag, by yelling, “Books aren’t people. You read and I look all around, but there isn’t anybody” (Bradbury, 69). Mildred is against the fact that books can help and opposes the idea when her husband tries to read to her. Montag tries to get his point across, but someone or something is in the way. He argues, “Why doesn’t someone want to talk about it! Is it because we’re having so much fun at
As Guy explains the burning of the woman in her own house’s fire to a confused Mildred, he realizes, “There must be something in books, something we can’t imagine, to make a woman stay in a burning house; there must be something there. You don’t stay for nothing” (Bradbury 48). Books have been banned, meaning no one is able to gain knowledge from them, and any remaining books must be burned. Guy realizes that books must hold significant importance if the woman was willing to give her life in protest of the burning of her books. Montag describes the idea of the content of the books as “something we can’t imagine,” showing that he and other people in his society are so out of touch with literature that they cannot fathom what it expresses.
How would life be if books were illegal to the people? Unlike firefighters today, the firemen in Fahrenheit 451 used fire to burn books and the homes that held them. They didn’t put out fires, they started them. If someone were to get caught with books, like Montag did, they could be arrested or even killed. Some avoided this dim consequence by running away and hiding.
As Montag talks to Faber, he mentions how things are going with Mildred at home. “‘Only the ‘family’ is ‘people. ’’‘I beg your pardon?’ ‘My wife says books aren’t ‘real.’” (80) Disappointedly, Montag conveys how Mildred believes books aren’t real, and when she mentions ‘real,’ she means that books provide nothing useful nor liable.
Ray Bradbury shows the readers this dystopian world, to help readers change the world for the better, and not end up a dystopia. In this books nobody takes the time to learn things, people only care about what is going on, on the screen. Ray Bradbury wants the audience to look at the mildred and the people living in this dystopia, and to learn to not be like Mildred, he wants the readers to learn things. It is known that Mildred is one of the main people in this book.
With a plethora of books on varying subject matters, the world of literature is almost endless. Quality books and authors often camouflage further meaning behind a character, theme or symbol providing a treasure for readers willing to search. Ray Bradbury includes a hidden treasure in his novel Fahrenheit 451 by contrasting two of his main characters. The overall message of the story describes a futuristic society with many technological advancements, and the prohibition of books, where Ray Bradbury shows how devastating a society is with mindless technology and lack of quality literature and interactions. However, by exploring the juxtaposition between the characters Mildred and Clarisse, a further meaning can be found through their differing
Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury, is a uniquely shocking and provocative novel about a dystopian society set in a future where reading is outlawed, thinking is considered a sin, technology is at its prime, and human interaction is scarce. Through his main protagonist, Guy Montag, Bradbury brings attention to the dangers of a controlled society, and the problems that can arise from censorship. As a fireman, it is Guy's job to destroy books, and start fires rather than put them out. After meeting a series of unusual characters, a spark is ignited in Montag and he develops a desire for knowledge and a want to protect the books. Bradbury's novel teaches its readers how too much censorship and control can lead to further damage and the repetition of history’s mistakes through the use of symbolism, imagery, and motif.
They choose to ignore others. And they choose to become emotionally isolated. Mildred is using technology for herself, while Montag would like to become educated to help others. He knows that there are others that are like him, and he could possibly help them. However, when Mildred is portrayed as Montag’s foil and as a representation of how society has been reduced to a bunch of mindless clowns, Ray Bradbury portrays the element of emotional
In the novel, Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury shows that literacy and social awareness are important for society through the use of characterization
Neil Gaiman once wrote, “some books exist between covers that are perfectly people-shaped” (Gaiman xvi). The idea that books can be defined as the sharing of thoughts and information between people reveals a deeper meaning in Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451. In Fahrenheit 451, the protagonist faces a society in which books are censored and, thus, burned. This, according to his definition, means that if books become banned, certain connections between people will, too, be destroyed. Ray Bradbury reveals the theme (the importance of books) through the protagonist’s dynamic character, which comes as a result from his conflicts with society.
In society, some people have conflicts with things and people around them. In Fahrenheit 451, the main character, Montag, has to burn books for a living. Montag’s life began to change when he has a decision to steal, hide, and read the books, or turn the books in and act like everyone else. Ray Bradbury shows Montag’s conflict with his wife, a friend, and technology in Fahrenheit 451. Bradbury uses Mildred, Montag’s wife, to show how everyone there is like robots.
(STEWE-2) Besides asking questions about society’s relationships, Montag questions further and starts asking about society’s rules on burning books after he experiences a woman burn with her books. He says to Mildred, “'There must be something in books, things we can't imagine, to make a woman stay in a burning house; there must be something there.'" (Bradbury 48). Montag, before, had blindly followed and enforced society’s rules about burning books.
Throughout the story, Clarisse makes Montag question his surroundings; she makes Montag rethink his marriage, society and job. Clarisse’s claims eventually cause Montag to read books and rebel. Clarisse causes Montag to question his marriage when she claims, “You’re not in love with anyone.” (19). This realization allows Montag not to be dragged in Mildred’s world of drugs and
Ray Bradbury 's novel Fahrenheit 451 delineates a society where books and quality information are censored while useless media is consumed daily by the citizens. Through the use of the character Mildred as a foil to contrast the distinct coming of age journey of the protagonist Guy Montag, Bradbury highlights the dangers of ignorance in a totalitarian society as well as the importance of critical thinking. From the beginning of the story, the author automatically epitomizes Mildred as a direct embodiment of the rest of the society: she overdoses, consumes a vast amount of mindless television, and is oblivious to the despotic and manipulative government. Bradbury utilizes Mildred as a symbol of ignorance to emphasize how a population will be devoid of the ability to think critically while living in a totalitarian society. Before Montag meets Clarisse, he is
Bradbury took these aspects to the extreme to convey his message using a dystopian world, and the character that most embraces and embodies the values of this society is Mildred. Mildred, as a typical citizen, is the opposite of the enlightened Clarisse. She is always watching television in the parlour, and when she is not doing that she is listening to her Seashells. When Montag brings books into their house, she is horrified and she ends up being the one who reports Montag to the firemen. By all accounts she appears to have fully bought into the lifestyle that her society promotes, and says that she is happy that way and “proud of it” (68).
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury is a challenging novel that will make you think, question, and agree with many choices made. Montag, the main character is a fireman married to Mildred. Montag works along with his partners and Captain, Beatty. Montag starts to dislike his job and begins reading lots of books. He is overwhelmed and can 't understand what he is reading so he threatens Faber, an old wise man he had met, into helping him learn from what he is reading.