Ray Bradbury

The Veldt Audiobook

“The Veldt”

George and Lydia Hadley are the parents of Wendy and Peter Hadley. They spare no expense at providing their children
with the best that technology can offer. Their house is completely computerized. There are machines to fry eggs, generate
food, sweep the house, and bathe the children. Perhaps the most outstanding aspect of the Hadley house is the nursery; a
room that turns the children's imagination to reality.

At the beginning of the story, Lydia and George step into the nursery and find an African veldt. They observe lions feeding
on an unknown prey. Then, the lions charge at the couple. The Hadleys run out of the room and slam the door. Concerned
with their children's imagination, they consider shutting down the nursery. The children do not agree with this and take
matters into their own hands.

Instructions: Answer the following questions in complete sentences using Ray Bradbury’s “The Veldt.” When needed,
provide textual evidence to support your answers.

1. Identify the protagonist(s) and antagonist(s) of the story. Explain

The protagonists are the mother and father, Lydia and George. They are trying to help their family be better and grow and
stop the evil nursery. The son and daughter, Peter and Wendy, are the antagonists. They kill their parents because they
didn’t want to lose the nursery.

2. Name 3 types of conflict and who or what is involved in the conflict.

Man vs man, The parents vs, the Kids. man vs, machine, The parents vs the veldt, and man vs society, parents vs the
technology that society has made.

3. What is the setting of this story? inside a house in a very technical society with a very creepy room inside the
house that shows africa.

4. Who are the characters of the story? George, Lydia, Wendy, and Peter Hadley,
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5. What kind of relationship is there between the children and their parents? The children are spoiled and hate their
parents. The parents like the children.

6. Why is the nursery more important to the children than their parents? In the nursedry they can do anything and be
anywhere, but their parents are very restricting and they can’t do anything.

7. Why does the children’s preference for the nursery worry their parents? Think about why the children go into
hysterics in the story. The parents believe that the nursery isn’t real and not as important than real life.

8. What personal belongings do George and Lydia find in the nursery? They find an old wallet and scarf with blood
on both of them.

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9. The Hadleys’ house spoils them. How does this affect each character? The parents aren’t disciplining their
children, and the children are not disciplined and are so angry when disciplined even a little.

10. Why do George and Lydia finally realize that the screams in the nursery were so familiar? What happens to
George and Lydia? Why?
George and Lydia find that the screams they heard earlier were their own. George and Lydia were eaten by the lions. The
children were angry with them because they said they would turn off the nursery, so the kids trapped them in the
veldt and the lions ate them.

11. Identify examples (four) of foreshadowing in the story. The screams heard in the veldt, the wallet found by george,
the psychologist saying how bad the kids are, and the lions chasing them out of the veldt in the beginning.

12. After reading this story, what do you think the author’s attitude toward technology is? Is it a blessing or a curse?
He thinks that technology is a curse.

13. How is “abandonment” a theme in this story? Who is abandoned? Is there more than one abandoned character?
The parents are abandoned in the story, and so are the children who aren’t really raised that well by the parents.

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14. What warning(s) do you think Bradbury is giving his readers? We can’t let technology ruin the children of the next
generation.

Extended Learning
The rise in the popularity of television had a direct influence on Bradbury’s creation of “The Veldt.” At the time the story
was written, many American families were acquiring their first television sets, and no one was sure exactly how this new
technology would impact the relationships among family members. Some people were afraid that watching too much
television would lead to the total breakdown of the family unit. This fear is directly reflected in “The Veldt.” In the story,
Bradbury heightens the odds by creating a machine that not only allows children to detach emotionally from their parents,
but one that can also physically destroy the parents as well.

15. In our present times, what current technologies create generation gaps? Think about your interactions with your
friends, family members, and other individuals in our society. I think that VR headsets is sort of creating fake
realities that could create generation gaps. When going into VR we get away from what’s real and into something
that isn’t actually there.

16. What concerns do parents have today about their children and technology? Are these concerns legitimate? They
definitely think that electrons are going to “rot your brain.” I could see why parents might think that if we spend
too much time on phones then we will disconnect from reality.

17. “The Veldt" was published originally as "The World the Children Made". “Peter Pan” is believed to have a strong
influence on Bradbury's creation of this story. What similarities can you identify between “The Veldt” and “Peter
Pan”?
The veldt is about fake realities that cause problems. Peter pan is about a boy that just won’t grow up and again disconnects
from whats real and it causes problems.

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18. What pieces of irony does Bradbury include in “The Veldt”? Think about the name of the house, the cost, and its
capabilities.
The house cost them so much, (including their lifes) It cost so much and ruined everything. Not only did they have the
house and veldt, but so many robots that they didn’t need to do anything for themselves.

19. “The Veldt” was published in 1951; however, the story predicts what family life and technology would be like in
the 21st century. What predictions were correct? Which ones were incorrect?

He predicted that we would have fake realities, (VR) but we don’t have a room that we can just imagine anything that we
want.