Mildred Montag - The Media Addict
Mildred Montag, Guy's wife, may have an episodic role but her character is very important to the story as she represents the face of the ordinary citizen in the society of Fahrenheit 451. She is the mirror that shows Guy that he is missing something despite all the abundance of material possessions around him. Mildred is constantly connected to a matrix by listening to her "Seashell ear-thimbles" (Bradbury 16), watching mindless shows in the family parlor (the equivalent of interactive TV), and driving her car at reckless speed.
Despite her simulacrum of joy and enthusiasm, Mildred is aloof in relation to Guy. They can barely seem to be a couple. One night, Guy finds that she overdosed on sleeping pills and has to call the medical services although she denies even remembering the event the next morning. He wonders if she did it out of emptiness or just because of sheer carelessness. Mildred is shallow and eager to conform to all the norms of the society. She does not seem to care about Guy's worries and is quick to betray and abandon him when he shows her the books he has been saving from his missions. When his colleagues discover his books in the house Guy is stunned to realize that Mildred "must have watched him hide the books in the garden and brought them back in" (109). Mildred is almost the opposite of Clarisse and her relationship with Guy mimics Guy's struggle with society. |
"Late in the night he looked over at Mildred. She was awake. There was a tiny dance of melody in the air, her Seashell was tamped in her ear again and she was listening to far people in far places, her eyes wide and staring at the fathoms of blackness above her in the ceiling."
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