Parenting in The Veldt by Ray Bradbury Essay Example

It is often surprising the extent in which people have become dependent on technology; however, in 1950 Ray Bradbury had already foreseen this growing dependency with his story “The Veldt.” The story begins with the George and Lydia being worried about their children’s’ addiction to their nursery, a virtual reality room that can take the shape of any setting, and the dangerous scenarios that they have been creating. Through the recommendation of a psychologist, the parents decide to turn off the nursery, but are persuaded by the children to allow them one more minute inside the place before shutting it off. George and Lydia then hear the children calling and decide to adventure into the nursery to look for them, only to find themselves in the African veldt surrounded by hungry lions that eat them. The story explores the theme that increasing dependance on technology to facilitate parenting can be detrimental to family relationships. The theme is noticeably conveyed through the self-destructing behavior of Lydia, her arguments with George, and the lack of connection between the children and their parents.

Shifting the basic responsibility of parenting, to technology, affects the mental health of parents. Bradbury makes this argument because parents are the foundation in a family, and if they are not well, the whole family dynamic is negatively affected as well. Bradbury explains that Lydia feels “[t]he house is wife and mother now” (Citation). The author chooses the words “wife” and “mother” to show the two roles that technology was taking over even back in the 50’s. The traditional roles of the era required a woman to be caretaker of her husband and children, but because of technology this role became obsolete in the story. This creates a feeling of worthlessness that leads to a cycle of continuous need for technology for the wellbeing of the household, but also continuous feeling of mediocrity. The writer implies that this excessive need for technology can lead to a depressive cycle. 

Due to the lifestyle that the technology creates, it can damage family relationships by shining light to clashing values. Ray Bradbury writes, “‘[a]nd lock the nursery for a few days until I get my nerves settled.’ ‘You know how difficult Peter is about that. When I punished him a month ago by locking the nursery for even a few hours — the tantrum he threw! And Wendy too. They live for the nursery’” (citation). On the surface the argument seems insignificant, but it shows a decisive mother willing to go against her husband to protect her children from perceived danger. Moreover, the short argument also shows a father that values comfort above everything else. George’s cherish of comfort becomes more obvious as the author describes the moment George ultimately decides to shut down the nursery after its disobedience to his orders (Citation). The dependance on automation not only creates a disagreement of whether shutting down the nursery is a good idea, but also a clash in values even when they come to a unified solution. Bradbury establishes the two different points of view to show that technology not always brings people closer. 

Despite the divide in values, both parents face the same fate at the hands of the apathetic personality that Peter and Wendy developed under their care. Literary critic, Tracy Caldwell explains, “The parents are unable to anticipate the problem associated with giving in to their children's every desire” (Caldwell). The main problems Tracy Caldwell refers to is the underdeveloped kinship between the children and their parents and the overdeveloped need for the nursery. Bradbury illustrates this contrast to show the damage that heavy dependency on technology can have in our relationships. The author exaggerates the danger of technology by alluding to the death of George and Lydia at the hands of lions in the nursery (citation);conversely, he also illustrates the damage of dependency through the clear lack of sentiment that Peter and Wendy show by the death of their parents. The author insists that excessive use of technology can deviate people from their family priorities. 

Ray Bradbury’s “The Veldt” displays the self-destructing behavior of Lydia, her opposing values with George, and her distant children. Bradbury uses these examples to convey the theme that use of technology and automation as a replacement for parental guidance is damaging. Despite being over fifty years old, the problem presented in the story is now more relevant than ever, parents are co-parenting with technology rather than using it to support their own parenting. Though phones and tablets can be a useful tool for the development of a child, they should supplement parents, not replace them. 

Works Cited

Bradbury, Ray. “The Veldt.” 1950. The Norton Introduction to Literature, edited by Kelly J. 

Mays, shorter 13th ed., W.W. Norton & Company, 2019, pp. 528-39.