The Veldt Summary

--> In this short story called, "The Veldt" written by Ray Bradbury it is about a couple named Lydia and George Hadley with a daughter and son named Wendy and Peter living in one of the most highly technologic house out in the market. Since they bought this house they haven’t had to worry about doing any household chores relying on their super fancy house. They no longer have to tie their shoes, make breakfast, clean the floor, or move around the house to get whatever they want. Having this sort of automated house has let them have more free time, but to a certain extent, can having to much free time be a bad thing? With the house comes a virtual reality room that feeds off of the minds of whoever is in the room, and the mother Lydia is somewhat worried for her children because the virtual room no longer has a sweet and innocent feeling in it because her kids are always in virtual Africa watching lions eat their pray. George and Lydia are concerned about the violent thoughts and decide they take a “vacation” from their high-tech house by turning it off and locking the virtual room, which the children have grown very attached to. The children disobey their parent’s decision and decide to break into the room to go back to virtual Africa and seeing this their parents begin to question how they have raised their kids and if they are spoiled. George decides to call a psychologist to see what the meaning is of their children imagining violent Africa, and the doctor comes to a conclusion that the house has became the children’s parents and they were just the people that take things away from them channeling the kids thoughts into violent ones. Lydia and George decide to move out of the house and shut off the house as a whole but before they go the kids beg their parents one more time to turn the virtual room on one more time and to see it. The parents agree and they are summoned to the room one last time where their kids in virtual Africa lock them in the room with lions surrounding them. When the psychologist returns to the house to help them move out, he returns to the virtual room where the kids are, to eat lunch with the Hadley’s in the blade grass of Africa the parents are no where to be seen. He sees the lions eating and gnawing on something from a distance but doesn’t think twice of what it was. He asks the kids where their parents were and they told him that they would be back soon.

            One of my favorite quotes from this short story was, “ You’ve let this room and this house replace you and your wife in your children’s affections. This room is their mother and father, far more important in their lives than real parents.” I liked this quote because it is true, in today’s society our generation values our technology way too much and it can eventually become to a point where we are so attached to our texting or instant messaging that our parents will slowly fade away from us because we push them away. Another quote I like is, “ You turn the nursery on for a minute, Lydia, just a minute, I mind you.” Not only is it our generation’s fault for being obsessed with our technology but some parents can be way too lenient and go against their words and promoting the use of it. If you are a parent and you are concerned about your children being spoiled, stick with your word and don’t allow them to control you because every time you let them slip by one last time, all those last times can add up and become a serious problem.