Monthly Archives: February 2021

Protagonist Brainstorm

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Protagonist Brainstorm

 

What does your protagonist want? My protagonist, at least at the beginning of the short story, wants nothing but to have a normal day at school. Much like Montag at the start of Fahrenheit 451, she is completely complicit in this society’s dystopian aspects. And also, much like Montag, the thing that gives her something to want, that breaks the rosy glasses, is a person who is not under the influence of this society- Clarisse, or in my story, Shiloh (I have not decided on the name). After she meets Shiloh, all she wants is to know more about this mysterious new student, and to see the colors associated with them.
What obstacles stand in your protagonist’s way? The faculty and rules of this school and society stands in Fille’s way. Nobody else sees, or is allowed to see, except for apparently Shiloh, and when Fille is caught breaking the strict rituals to pass notes, she is sent to the principal’s office.
Specific Characteristics of your protagonist (appearance, special skills/abilities, knowledge) Fille, unlike other protagonists of dystopian stories, has no special qualities about her. She is like Mildred in that aspect, that she just simply exists in society and objects to nothing- but she is more like the reader. If anyone reading a dystopian novel was dropped into the dystopian world suddenly, they probably wouldn’t immediately start a world-changing revolution, or be granted with a special gift, or really be able to change anything. Fille only wants to know her new classmate more, and see them, not change the entire rule of society. She looks meek, with plain brown hair and blotchy white skin. She’s as intelligent as the average sixth grader, and has no special skills or abilities. She’s the normal person of this society.

“R/LiminalSpace – This Hallway at My High School Looks an Awful Lot like a Liminal Space.” Reddit, 2019, www.reddit.com/r/LiminalSpace/comments/ienef0/this_hallway_at_my_high_school_looks_an_awful_lot/. Accessed 14 Feb. 2021.

“R/LiminalSpace – School Basement.” Reddit, 2019, www.reddit.com/r/LiminalSpace/comments/grpn3k/school_basement/. Accessed 14 Feb. 2021.

in. “Sympathy for the Savior.” Sympathy for the Savior, 12 Sept. 2018, www.sympathyforthesavior.com/new-blog/2018/8/15/blind-in-the-mind. Accessed 14 Feb. 2021.

The Character of Mildred in Fahrenheit 451

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How does Mildred reflect all the qualities of a citizen of a dystopian society?

When writing a piece of dystopian literature, and creating a dystopian society, one must give examples of how the society is- how it is the live and experience life in this society, how this society indoctrinates their citizens, and what daily life looks like. Or rather, what an everyday citizen looks like. Usually, to get this task out fo the way, dystopian authors present their protagonists with a random example of the society, like Billy Dean from ‘The True Tale of the Monster BIlly Dean, Telt by Hisself’ and his odd interaction with a forager, or even Harry Potter and his first meeting with Hagrid from ‘Harry Potter and The Philosopher’s Stone’– but Bradbury presents an interesting example. By making this archetype, the character that reflects all the qualities of a citizen of a dystopian society and represents the ‘sheep’ of society, the wife of the protagonist, and not just some random person or new character. Not only is Guy Montag actively passive in this society and surrounded by actively passive citizens like Mildred, but he is married to one. This gives the society an odd familiarity, since the reader is quite literally living with a brainwashed citizen. Mildred was born into this role and this society, she feels nothing, is entertained easily, and has no real depth- none of which are her fault, but all of which are her inherent choice. She could, perhaps, rebel like her husband later does and her young neighbor, Clarisse, does, but she does not- she remains dormant. It is in this aspect that Mildred reflects all of the qualities of a citizen of a dystopian society, when even unhappy and bored with her life she does not stand up and makes a change, but lets herself be beat down and dumbed down by the noises and rules of society.

“Millie, he thought. All this country here. Listen to it! Nothing and nothing. So much silence, Millie, I wonder how you’d take it? Would you shout Shut up, shut up! Millie, Millie.” (“Fahrenheit 451: Mildred Montag Quotes | SparkNotes”)

(“WIP- Fahrenheit 451- Mildred Montag by Gurdim on DeviantArt”)