“The Veldt” by Ray Bradbury deals with some of the same fundamental problems that we are now encountering in this modern day and age, such as the breakdown of family relationships due to technology. Ray Bradbury is an American writer who lived from 1920 to 2012 (Paradowski). Written in 1950, “The Veldt” is even more relevant to today than it was then. The fundamental issue, as Marcelene Cox said, “Parents are often so busy with the physical rearing of children that they miss the glory of parenthood, just as the grandeur of the trees is lost when raking leaves.” Technology creating dysfunctional families is an ever increasing problem. In the story, the Hadley family lives in a house that is entirely composed of machines. A major facet of the house is the nursery, where the childrens’ imagination becomes a land they can play in. When the parents become worried about their childrens’ violent imagination, as shown with their fascination with the African veldt, the children kill them to prevent them from turning it off. Ray Bradbury develops his theme that technology can break up families in his short story "The Veldt" through the use of foreshadowing, symbolism, and metaphor. Foreshadowing is a fundamental element in “The Veldt.” A good example of foreshadowing is the veldt itself and the voracious animals inside it. “The nursery was silent. It was as empty as a jungle glade at hot high noon. ‘Did you hear that scream?’ she asked. ‘No’ ‘About a minute ago.’ ‘Sorry, no.’” (Bradbury). This is the first instance of foreshadowing in the story that predicts the event where the parents themselves will soon be screaming, meaning they will die. “Moreover, his (Ray Bradbury’s) description of the veldt also conveys an atmo... ... middle of paper ... ...es the reader thinking about the impact of technology long after they have finished the story. Works Cited Bernardo, Jr., Anthony J. “The Veldt.” Masterplots II: Short Story Series, Revised Edition (2004): 1-3. Literary Reference Center. Web. 29 Jan. 2014. Caldwell, Tracy M. “The Negative Effects Of Parent And Child Conflict.” Literary Theme: The Negative Effects Of Parent & Child Conflict (2006): 1-5. Literary Reference Center. Web. 30 Jan. 2014. Hart, Joyce. “Critical Essay on ‘The Veldt.’” Short Stories for Students. Ed. Ira Mark Milne. Vol. 20. Detroit: Gale, 2005. Literature Resource Center. Web. 29 Jan. 2014. Paradowski, Robert J. “Ray Bradbury.” Critical Survey Of Long Fiction, Fourth Edition (2010): 1-9. Literary Reference Center. Web. 30 Jan. 2014. “The Veldt by Ray Bradbury.” 123HelpMe.com. 30 Jan 2014 .
Labin, Linda. ”Harrison Bergeron.” Masterplots II: Short Story Series, Revised Edition. 2004: 1-2. Literary Reference Center. Web. 12 March 2014.
Bradbury, Ray. Fahrenheit 451. 60th Anniversary Edition. New York, NY: A Division of Simon & Schuster, Inc., 1951. 001-158. Print.
Meyer, Michael. The Bedford Introduction to Literature. Ed. 8th ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2008. 2189.
Hart, Joyce. "Critical Essay on 'The Veldt.'" Short Stories for Students. Ed. Ira Mark Milne. Vol. 20. Detroit: Gale, 2005. Literature Resource Center. Web. 21 Jan. 2014.
Pike, Gerald. “Excerpts from Criticism of the Works of Short Fiction Writers.” Short Story Criticism. Ed. Thomas Votteler. Vol. 6. Detroit: Gale Research International Limited, 1990. 90. Print.
Macnee, Marie J. “Ray Bradbury.” Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror Writers. Eds. Martin H. Greenburg and Joseph D. Olander. Vol. 1. New York: Gale Research Inc., 1995. 58. Print.
Technology is the ultimate tool to find almost anything that you are curious about. Technology can be used as a great tool for learning new things, but at the same time technology can be used in a negative manner. In the two stories “The Veldt” and “In Another Country” technology is used in the sense for making life much worse. The authors of the two short stories use technology to show that it is detrimental to society because it keeps society from being together.
Faulkner, Howard, and Theresa L. Stowell. "Richard Wright." Critical Survey Of Long Fiction, Fourth Edition (2010): 1-9. Literary Reference Center. Web. 5 Mar. 2014.
Currently, families face a multitude of stressors in their lives. The dynamics of the family has never been as complicated as they are in the world today. Napier’s “The Family Crucible” provides a critical look at the subtle struggles that shape the structure of the family for better or worse. The Brice family is viewed through the lens of Napier and Whitaker as they work together to help the family to reconcile their relationships and the structure of the family.
Greenblatt, Stephen, and M. H. Abrams. The Norton Anthology of English Literature. 9th ed. Vol. A. New York: W.W. Norton, 2012. Print
In the story the Veldt two children named Wendy and Peter live in a house that does everything for them. It cooks their food, gets them dressed, and even washes them. Because the children grew up living like this it is very easy to feel like you cannot live without all of these luxuries around you all the time. However, this spoiling goes too far when the children are introduced to the nursery, a mind reading room that transforms whatever you could dream into a realistic 3D reality.
Foreshadowing is frequently used in "The Veldt" leading up to the final moments of George and Lydia. The first instance of this is when George and Lydia go into the nursery to find the lions feasting on some unknown prey. “Nothing over there I can see but cleaned bone, and the vultures dropping for what's left.” (Bradbury). They may not know it yet, but this scene symbolizes their very demise.
Stillinger, Jack, Deidre Lynch, Stephen Greenblatt, and M H. Abrams. The Norton Anthology of English Literature: Volume D. New York, N.Y: W.W. Norton & Co, 2006. Print.
Bernardo, Jr., Anthony J. “The Veldt.” Masterplots II: Short Story Series, Revised Edition (2004): 1-3. Literary Reference Center. Web. 31 Jan. 2014.
Works Cited Knapp, John V. “Nineteen Eighty-Four” Critical Survey of Long Fiction. Ed. Carl Rollyson. Hackensack NJ: Salem Press Inc, 2000. 2451-2452.