Mildred’s Role In Fahrenheit 451

In Fahrenheit 451, Mildred represents a standard government programmed citizen. Mildred is the ideal government pawn because she represents everything wrong within society. For instance, Mildred doesn’t ask “why?”. She absorbs everything around her without questioning and thinking. An example of Mildred and other citizens not thinking is when they watch television, Mildred obsesses over her “family” because they give her joy and distract her from the world. The government has promoted television for their benefit, which helps citizens hide from the unknown and unpleasant world. Citizens can hide away and watch hollow and shallow entertainment, which requires no thinking. Furthermore, I think that the idea of not questioning society is taught early in a child’s life. One of the points that Clarisse made was, “But do you know, we never ask questions, or at least most don’t; they just run the answers at you, bing, bing, bing… It’s a lot of funnels and a lot of water poured down the spout and out the bottom, and them telling us it’s wine and it’s not.” (Bradbury, 27). She is making the point that students don’t question the world or society. Students have to believe information at school and, they don’t have any evidence on why they are correct. Citizens are unaware of their surroundings and themselves. Watching Montag’s character evolve I’ve noticed that he has easy access to literature, so though I want to blame the citizens’ lack of awareness solely on the government, I can’t. Being told that books were pointless, time-wasting, and false, citizens don’t take advantage of reading because they think books and knowledge cause unhappiness. However, they choose to watch television, knowingly avoid confronting their lives and the world around them. Being curious about and accepting the world and its ideas are a vital part of what all citizens in Fahrenheit 451 are missing, and what Montag is just starting to get back.

 

Image Citation-

Tims, Jojo. “This is Mildred.” Pinterest, https://www.pinterest.com/pin/56435801567002904/. Accessed 08 Feb. 2021.