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