Mildred Montag is an ordinary member of the society built in the novel Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury. She sits at home everyday with her seashells plugged into her ears, staring at the wall, watching a pointlessly violent television show. But Mildred has also been cursed by being the wife of Guy Montag, someone who had just recently been struggling to grasp the true nature of the society. Because of Montag’s actions against society, Mildred has been left to make some complex decisions. Even though she is endangering Montag, the reader still feels sympathetic towards her because Bradbury has written her off to be the helpless wife who has been too brainwashed by her society to be saved. The first sign of Mildred’s helplessness that the reader is exposed to is her attempt of suicide. “Her face was like a snow-covered island upon which rain might fall, but it felt no rain; over which clouds might pass their moving shadows, but she felt no shadow” (Bradbury 13). This quote from the …show more content…
Previously, Montag had been yelling at her and her friends about the flaws in their society, as well as reading a part of a poem, which was considered illegal. “‘Was it my wife turned in the alarm?’ Beatty nodded,” (Bradbury 117). By turning Montag in to the authorities, Mildred had finally put her foot down and made one of the first real decisions in her life. The reader still pities Mildred, even though her actions harmed her husband, because Bradbury has built her character to show how her actions reflected upon her battle between choosing her society or her family. Choosing her society over her husband reflects on the impact this society has from people, that not even family can convince you of its evils. This strong bond Mildred has with her society once again emphasizes how weak she is because no matter what Montag does to convince her, society has already oppressed her into being one of its mindless