Ashwin Lewis
In Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451, Mildred, the wife of protagonist Guy Montag, uses sleeping pills to fall asleep. After overdosing on sleeping pills in a suicide attempt, Mildred is treated with two machines that work in tandem. The first machine, described as resembling a snake, pumps her stomach, while the second machine removes and replaces her blood.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Number of machines | 2 |
| Machine 1 | Resembles a snake; slides down the throat and into the stomach; pumps out the stomach contents |
| Machine 2 | Removes and replaces all the blood in the body |
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What You'll Learn
Mildred overdoses on sleeping pills
In Fahrenheit 451, Guy Montag returns home to find that his wife, Mildred, has overdosed on sleeping pills. Montag calls an emergency crew to his house, where they hook Mildred up to two machines. The first machine, described as resembling a snake, pumps Mildred's stomach. This machine has an "eye" through which the operator, wearing an optical helmet, can see what the eye on the end of the snake sees. The second machine, operated by another technician, removes all of Mildred's blood and replaces it with fresh blood. These two machines work in tandem to cleanse Mildred's body of the pills she has taken.
The technology used on Mildred is notable for its clinical detachment and disinterest, with the operators described as impersonal and machinelike in their detachment. This reflects the theme in the novel of technology as threatening and cruel. The symbol of snakes, which represents the destructive, malevolent fireman institution and the dangers of technology, further emphasizes the threatening nature of the machines.
Mildred's suicide attempt is one of the eight most important events in Fahrenheit 451, as it reveals the conformist, shallow, and superficial nature of society. Mildred's overdose also highlights the struggle for knowledge and individual thought in a society where critical thinking is discouraged. The detachment of the medical personnel treating Mildred underscores the dehumanizing impact of a society obsessed with immediate gratification.
The description of the machines used on Mildred is vivid and disturbing, with the first machine likened to a black cobra slithering down a well and drinking up the darkness and poisons accumulated over the years. This imagery suggests that Mildred's overdose is a result of the darkness and poison within her, reflecting the themes of censorship and conformity in the novel. The operators of the machines, with their optical helmets and non-stainable reddish-brown overalls, further contribute to the eerie and dehumanizing atmosphere of the scene.
Overall, Mildred's overdose and the subsequent use of technology to save her life serve as a powerful commentary on the dangers of a society that relies too heavily on technology and discourages critical thinking and individualism. The dehumanizing nature of the medical procedure underscores the conformist and superficial values of the society depicted in Fahrenheit 451.
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Two machines are used to treat her
In Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451, Mildred, the wife of protagonist Guy Montag, attempts suicide by overdosing on sleeping pills. Montag discovers her and calls an emergency medical team to their house. The team uses two machines to treat Mildred.
The first machine, described as resembling a snake, is slid down Mildred's throat and into her stomach. It pumps out her stomach, removing the toxins from the overdose. The machine is silent except for an occasional noise resembling suffocation. It is operated by a technician wearing an optical helmet, who can see what an "eye" on the end of the snake sees.
The second machine is used to remove and replace all of Mildred's blood. It is operated by another technician. Together, the two machines work in tandem to cleanse Mildred's body of the pills she has ingested.
The procedure is largely automated and does not require advanced medical training to operate the machines. However, the operators' detachment and the mechanical nature of the procedure are notable, reflecting the threatening and cruel quality of the technology depicted in the novel.
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One machine pumps her stomach
In Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451, Mildred, the wife of protagonist Guy Montag, overdoses on sleeping pills in a suicide attempt. Her husband calls an emergency crew, who arrive at the house and hook her up to two machines. One of these machines, described as resembling a snake, pumps the toxins from her stomach.
The machine slides down her throat "like a black cobra down an echoing well". It sucks up the toxins from her stomach, described in the novel as "the green matter that flowed to the top in a slow boil". The machine is silent, except for an occasional noise that sounds like suffocation. It has an "eye" at the end of it, through which the operator, wearing an optical helmet, can see inside Mildred's stomach.
The machine's snake-like appearance is significant. In the novel, the symbol of snakes represents the destructive, malevolent fireman institution and the dangers of technology. The mechanical hound, for instance, also has a seemingly malevolent edge. The snake-like machine's operator, wearing an optical helmet, seems almost machinelike in his detachment.
The second machine, operated by another technician, replaces all the blood in Mildred's body with fresh blood. Together, the two machines work in tandem to cleanse Mildred's body of the sleeping pills she has taken.
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The other machine replaces her blood
In Fahrenheit 451, Mildred, the wife of protagonist Guy Montag, overdoses on sleeping pills. Montag calls for emergency medical help, and two technicians arrive at his house with two machines. One of these machines, described as resembling a snake, is used to pump the contents of Mildred's stomach. The other machine is used to replace her blood.
The blood-replacing machine is operated by a technician who is described as impersonal and machinelike in his detachment. The operator of the machine wears non-stainable reddish-brown overalls. This machine is used to pump all of the blood from Mildred's body and replace it with fresh blood and serum.
The procedure is largely automated and does not require advanced medical training. The two machines work in tandem to cleanse Mildred's body of the sleeping pills she has ingested. The process is routine for the operators, who simply want to be paid after the procedure is complete.
The blood-replacing machine is symbolic of the repression of Mildred's inner self. Her poisoned blood is replaced with fresh, mechanically administered blood, yet she remains unchanged. This reflects the lack of human connection in Mildred's life, which has been replaced by technology such as her seashell earbuds, which she uses to fall asleep.
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The machines are described as threatening
In Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451, Mildred, the wife of protagonist Guy Montag, attempts suicide by overdosing on sleeping pills. Montag calls for emergency medical help, and Mildred is hooked up to two machines. One of the machines, described as resembling a "black cobra", slides down her throat and into her stomach, pumping out the toxins. The other machine removes all of Mildred's blood and replaces it with fresh blood.
The symbolism of the snake is important in the context of the novel. Snakes represent the destructive, malevolent fireman institution and the dangers of technology. The snake-like machine that pumps Mildred's stomach is compared to the mechanical hound, which also has a seemingly malevolent edge. This comparison suggests that the machine, while inanimate, possesses a certain animosity or malevolence towards Mildred.
The threat of the machines is further emphasised by the operators' impersonal and detached demeanours. The operator of the first machine wears an optical helmet, through which he can see what the "eye" at the end of the snake-like machine sees. This operator is described as being able to see the process through the "eye" of the machine, further dehumanising Mildred and reducing her to an object to be worked on. The operator of the second machine is described as equally impersonal, dressed in non-stainable reddish-brown overalls.
The use of these machines to save Mildred's life after her suicide attempt is ironic given the threatening and cruel manner in which they are described. The detachment of the operators and the dehumanisation of Mildred further emphasise the threatening nature of the technology.
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Frequently asked questions
Mildred does not use technology to sleep in Fahrenheit 451. However, she does use sleeping pills to overdose in a suicide attempt. After this, two machines are used to pump her stomach and replace her blood.
One of the machines is described as resembling a snake, or a "black cobra", sliding down her throat and into her stomach. The other machine is not likened to an animal.
The two machines are operated by technicians. The first machine is operated by someone wearing an optical helmet, who can see what an "eye" on the end of the snake-like machine sees. The second machine is operated by someone in non-stainable reddish-brown overalls.
