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Analysis of Ray Bradbury’s The Veldt
By NASRULLAH MAMBROL on April 18, 2022
Originally published as the first narrative in a collection entitled The Illustrated Man , “The Veldt” was also one of three stories from the book adapted for a film version in 1969 and eventually published in play form, although neither of these is considered a critically important version of the original work. While usually thought of exclusively as a science fiction writer, Ray Bradbury is also a haunting essayist and an astonishingly lyrical poet. In his creative work as well as in his interviews, he makes no bones about the fact that, despite his fascination with other worlds and other times, he is at heart a technophobe, loving intensely this Earth in all its magnificence and worried— already in the early fifties—by the effects of increasing mechanization on the planet. One preeminent Bradbury scholar, George Edgar Slusser, has commented that “to Bradbury, science is the forbidden fruit, destroyer of Eden” (“Biography”). Thus, in “The Veldt” we see that Bradbury mixes elements of science fiction with a strong—nay, a terribly frightening— warning about humankind’s destruction of Earth’s creatures and resources.
Author Ray Bradbury attends Nineth Annual Hemingway Contest on March 10, 1986 at Harry’s Bar and Grill in Century City, California./GoodReads
Set in some unidentified future time, the story takes place over approximately 12 hours in a house apparently not unlike the one described so clearly in “ There Will Come Soft Rains ,” arguably Bradbury’s most famous story. “The Veldt” focuses on the home’s “nursery,” a space with thought-controlled holographic plasma walls, capable of creating visual illusions and their accompanying appropriate sounds and scents, which has been hijacked by the owners’ 10-year-old twins, named, interestingly enough, Peter and Wendy. Pervading the story is a growing sense of dread as we learn that now only the children are capable of controlling the walls of the nursery, which they have locked into the hot oppressiveness of the African veldt, complete with all its flora and fauna, including a pride of lions, which takes the story to its grisly but inevitable end.
There are those who interpret “The Veldt” as dealing with human beings who use technology to perpetrate evil or as indicating that our increasing dependence on machines instead of on each other creates barriers between family members, but underlying both the science fiction and the human relationship aspects of the story is Bradbury’s environmental message: Nature cannot—will not—be controlled. The twins have learned that lesson, but the parents, and most of the rest of the “civilized” world, apparently do not have a clue.
BIBLIOGRAPHY “Biography—Bradbury, Ray (Douglas) (1920– ).” In Contemporary Authors. Farmington Hills, Mich.: Gale, 2004. Bradbury, Ray. “The Veldt.” In The Illustrated Man. New York: Barnes & Noble, 1987. “Introduction.” In Ray Bradbury, Modern Critical Views Series, edited by Harold Bloom. New York: Chelsea House, 2000. McNelly, Willis E. “Two Views: Ray Bradbury—Past, Present, and Future.” In Voices for the Future: Essays on Major Science Fiction Writers, edited by Thomas D. Clareson, 167–175. Bowling Green, Ohio: Bowling Green State University Press, 1983.
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The Psychological Dangers of Technology
The dangers of overusing technology is the overarching theme of “The Veldt,” and indeed of much of Bradbury’s science fiction. Bradbury wrote his stories at a time of expanding innovation in technology, with particular attention devoted to gadgetry that would improve domestic life. Many commentators in the post-World War II years began to worry about the physical and psychological effects of the new technology. Bradbury makes a brief allusion to the new interest in space exploration with his reference to a “rocket to New York” (246); for the most part, his technological fantasy centers on the home.
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COMMENTS
The parents reach the nursery, the most expensive and sophisticated feature of the Happylife Home.Before their eyes, the blank walls of the nursery transform into a three-dimensional African veldt. George feels the intense heat of the sun and begins to sweat. He wants to get out of the nursery, saying that everything looks normal but that it is "a little too real," but Lydia tells him to wait.
By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University) 'The Veldt' is a short story by the American author Ray Bradbury (1920-2012), included in his 1952 collection of linked tales, The Illustrated Man.The story concerns a nursery in an automated home in which a simulation of the African veldt is conjured by some children, but the lions which appear in the nursery start to feel very real.
The nursery, like the rest of the house, is state-of-the-art technology. As George and Lydia stand in the center of the room, the nursery walls seem to recede, and an African veldt, or grassland, appears. The ceiling becomes a sky with a hot sun overhead. The nursery room begins to produce the smells and the sounds of a veldt as well.
Analysis. "The Veldt" is narrated in the close third person, largely from the point of view of George Hadley, the father of Wendy and Peter. Set in a future which is highly consumerist and ...
Ray Bradbury's classic short story 'The Veldt' (1952) is about a nursery in an automated home in which a simulation of the African veldt is conjured by some children, who have only to 'think' the landscape into being for it to appear around them. The lions which appear in the nursery start to feel rather more real than merely ...
Summary. 'The Veldt' is a classic short story by American writer Ray Bradbury, first printed in The Saturday Evening Post in 1950, and published in Bradbury's collection The Illustrated Man in 1951. In the story, the Hadleys live a life of leisure in a fully automated house called "The Happylife Home". Parents George and Lydia become concerned ...
Conclusion. In "The Veldt," Ray Bradbury creates a captivating and significant story beyond a straightforward science fiction narrative. The work is a thoughtful and critical exploration of the relationship between humans and technology, presenting themes such as technological dependence, dehumanization, reality versus fantasy, and family dynamics in an age of technological advancement.
The juxtaposition of authentic experiences versus artificial reality is a pervasive theme in "The Veldt." But more than just the conflict between the two, the story explores a complex relationship in which it can be difficult for people to tell the difference between the real and the fake. At the outset of the story, George's feeling that ...
The Veldt Summary. "The Veldt" is a short story by Ray Bradbury in which the Hadleys grow concerned when their children's virtual entertainment room begins reflecting violent fantasies. George and ...
One preeminent Bradbury scholar, George Edgar Slusser, has commented that "to Bradbury, science is the forbidden fruit, destroyer of Eden" ("Biography"). Thus, in "The Veldt" we see that Bradbury mixes elements of science fiction with a strong—nay, a terribly frightening— warning about humankind's destruction of Earth's ...
The main message of "The Veldt" concerns the negatives attached to becoming too reliant on technology and not disciplining children. The Hadleys allow technology to consume their lives after ...
seemed, and presently an African veldt appeared, in three dimensions, on all sides, in color reproduced to the final pebble and bit of straw. The ceiling above them became a deep sky with a hot yellow sun. George Hadley felt the perspiration start on his brow. "Let's get out of this sun," he said. "This is a little too real.
Bradbury's nursery in "The Veldt" is a representation of this idea. Just like nuclear fission, the nursery was invented to help people solve a problem, but it spins out of control and destroys people instead. Indeed, the nursery is a particularly terrifying concept because it is a technology that amplifies human ingenuity. In effect, the ...
The Veldt. A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement. questions about this title!
PDF Cite. Joyce Hart, M.A. | Certified Educator. Ray Bradbury has a point to make in his short story "The Veldt.". It is a rather simple and obvious point—Bradbury does not like machines ...
The Veldt Themes. T he main themes in "The Veldt" are the perils of consumerism and technology, appearances versus reality, and the dangers of inconsistent parenting.. The perils of consumerism ...
Technology is destroying human communication by erasing the need for humans, causing mental health issues, and spreading misinformation. When technology becomes addictive, you lose control of yourself. For example, in the short story The Veldt by Ray Bradbury, the author warns about the future effects of abusing technology.
In Ray Bradbury's short story "The Veldt," there are several layers to the significance of the title.On the most basic and obvious level, "The Veldt" refers to the setting of the nursery in the ...