Mildred is Montag's wife in Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451. She is the perfect example of this hedonistic society's model citizen. She knows exactly how to keep herself distracted from facing any serious issues in life. For example, she's addicted to sleeping pills, watches television on three screens all day long, listens to music at night in bed, and likes to drive fast to run over dogs when she is stressed out. As a result, her perceptions about life are skewed because she values the lives of fictitious characters on television more than she does her own husband and neighbors. When Montag wants her to explore books with him, Mildred argues the following:
"Books aren't people. You read and I look all around, but there isn't anybody! . . . My 'family' is people. They tell me things: I laugh, they laugh! And the colors! . . . And besides, if Captain Beatty knew about those books . . . He might come and burn the house and the 'family.' That's awful! Think of our investment. Why should I read? What for?" (73).
From what Mildred says above, she proves that she has more of a bond with a fictitious television family than she does with real people. Sure, she has a few friends like Mrs. Phelps and Mrs. Bowles, but when she thinks about her house being burned down, she does not worry about her husband because she's too busy worrying about the 'family.'
Furthermore, Mildred does not understand that reading books can create mental images of people to whom she could relate. Because she is the perfect product of this hedonist society, though, she does not understand that one must work at reading, as well as with real relationships, in order to feel truly connected to other people. Mildred just wants to sit around and watch the 'family' and the colors all day long because that is easy and makes her happy. Mildred's life is sad because she connects to "people" on television more than she does with those around her.
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