Gender Roles In Fahrenheit 451

“If women are expected to do the same work as men, we must teach them the same things.” The famous Greek philosopher Plato once said this, and society still has not fully fathomed this idea regarding gender equality. Fahrenheit 451 is a novel written by Ray Bradbury, set in a dystopian society. It touches on censorship, individuality and technology dangers, but the most prevalent recurring theme is based on gender roles and stereotypes. In the story, Guy Montag is a firefighter, whose sole mission is to burn books and any houses that contain them. Everything changes when he meets a young and insightful girl, Clarisse, who changes how he sees the world. Montag’s wife Mildred, is a housewife not only to him, but to an entirely fake family composed

of TV characters in her parlour with three wall-sized screens. With the whole society being shielded from any real information, Montag becomes curious and breaks the mold in this story. In both Fahrenheit 451 and in today’s society, gender stereotypes play a large role in the development of the future generations. This is supported by the book because; Mildred stays at home and Montag works, Montag is not allowed to show as many feelings, and Mildred must always ‘listen’ to Montag.
Fahrenheit 451 shows the classic gender stereotype of a wife staying at home, and a husband at work.

Ira Mark Ellman is an expert on family law and policy, he studies how gender roles affect people’s lives. “studies that show declining marriage rates are associated with increased employment opportunities for women,” (Ellman). In the passage, Ellman is trying to explain how the pre-existing gender stereotypes that are instilled in society around women staying at home and men working can be changed, but it will transform many household dynamics. Many men feel that their masculinity is tied to their ability to provide for a family, while their spouse stays at home with children or doing the domestic work. When that archetype of a wife is broken, and she can provide for herself, it can be surprising. The traditional housewife is represented in many forms of media, including Fahrenheit 451. “‘That’s one-third of my yearly pay’” (Bradbury 18). Mildred is telling Montag about the fourth TV wall that she wants, and he complains that it is too expensive for his earnings. If, from the time children were learning what to do in life, there were no gender roles, Mildred would not have to ask for Montag’s permission. Mildred, and all young girls could be taught that being feminine does not have to include being submissive to others. Women could feel more powerful, and get jobs that reflect

that.
Many boys and men have difficulty expressing their feelings, in a world that supports that suppression, even at the cost of many lives.

Montag has this difficulty in his life in Fahrenheit 451. Scott Smith writes about mental illness and its effects. “Men also may experience strong feelings of personal isolation when they are depressed. They tend to be less emotionally oriented than women, and may be preoccupied with competition, success or productivity. Many men are reluctant to admit to feelings of stress or vulnerability and are much less likely to share their fears or personal emotions with others” (Smith). Smith highlights the challenges men often face in relation to feelings. When the opportunity to express any or all feelings is precluded, depression and isolation are very common, and can lead to difficulties with mental health. “‘No, I don’t want to, this time. I want to hold onto this funny thing. God, it’s gotten big on me. I don’t know what it is. I’m so damned unhappy, I’m so mad, and I don’t know why. I feel like I’m putting on weight. I feel fat. I feel like I’ve been saving up a lot of things, and don’t know what. I might even start reading books’” (Bradbury 62). Montag attempts to communicate how he has been feeling to Mildred, but even after all of that, she still only reacts to the fact that he says he wants to read a book. She is worried about how that will get him into trouble. Mildred does offer one solution to the way Montag has been feeling, she says

he should get into the beetle and drive really fast and hit animals. She claims this is how she cures her bad moods, even though she is delusional to her own feelings and is unaware that she is severely depressed and has tried to commit suicide.
Throughout the whole novel, even though Montag and Mildred are married, and should share responsibility equally in their relationship, it seems as though Mildred is always the one listening to what Montag has to say. This also is very common in society today, women are to listen to what men have to say and respond appropriately. At times, after listening to someone for so long people tend to tune out and just respond to the words and not fully comprehend the meaning. “Her head turned. Though she quite obviously was not listening” (Bradbury 61). Mildred spends all of her days listening. She listens to her seashells, Montag, and in this passage, Beatty. She must stop being attentive to what is being said to her at some point. Don McCreary studies Behavioural Science in the Department of Psychology at Brock University in Ontario, Canada.“Men and women not only internalize male- and female-- typed personality traits, but they also learn about male- and female-typed behaviors and they develop attitudes about men's and women's rights and roles in society” (McCreary). These habits are ingrained in children’s brains, and continue to be demonstrated in all societies in some form.
Today’s society is mirrored in the novel, Fahrenheit 451, by using gender stereotypes, and reinforcing the ideas of gender roles in relationships. The book is based on a heterosexual married couple, including a housewife, and a working husband who is unhappy at his job. The conversations are dominated by the man, but he also has a hard time conveying his feelings and acting upon them in a productive manner. This is a very conventional portrayal of a family, which is the exact circumstance young children view as their brains and views of the world are developing. To break this conformation of gender roles, media must depict diverse people, personalities and family dynamics or situations.