English 9AC [S1: 2023]

Questions for “The Veldt” by Ray Bradbury

1. The ending of the story is intentionally vague. What do you think is going to happen next?
What evidence from the text leads to your inference?

I think they are going to kill Mr. McLennan as in the story we see that there were vultures
who were flying around him and they could symbolize death. Therefore I think they might
kill Mr. McLennan.

2. Clearly articulate the reasoning behind the Hadley’s purchasing a Happy Life Home.

What exactly have the Hadley’s "purchased" for their 30,000 (plus 15K extra for nursery):
what do the amenities of the "HH" offer them?

They wanted a carefree and good life where they can enjoy peace and not have to do simple
works like washing dishes etc. They want the machines to do waste stuff. According to Mr.
Hadley they bought this house so they would not have to do such work.

3. How are the parents each uniquely characterized? Record where to find supporting textual
evidence on this document. Include page number and first word, ellipses, then last word of
direct quotation.
 Lydia  Lydia is a person who I think want her children’s best, but however she
changes her action or thought very quickly she cannot bear her children in pain.
Such as at start of the book on page 3 on the 2 paragraph when they were moved
from the violence they saw in Africa and so they wanted to close the nursery. In that
paragraph when her husband told her that they will lock the door to the nursery,
she said “It’s got to be locked, that’s all there is to it”. This showed that she wanted
to close the nursery because of the kid’s thoughts of violence. However, on page 10
at the middle the children were crying and throwing a tantrum because the nursery
was being closed and so was their house. She said to her husband, “George, turn on
the nursery just for a few moments. You can’t be so abrupt.” She took her children’s
side even though she knew they were doing the wrong thing.
  George  George is also a caring man. He however has let the children become
rebellious and they do not listen to the parents. Their house is more important to
the children than their parents. He is more unstable and thinks from his mind. He
wants the children to be better but can’t

4. How is childhood represented in this story—what traits define the children and what are
their daily lives like? How do the house and the nursery affect the children?

Their house is more important to the children than their parents. On page 10 the children
were crying and said, “You can’t do that to the nursery” and , “Oh, I hate you” said peter.
This goes to show the kids want the house and not their parents.

5. The story is in many ways a classic Gothic horror story. Here is Dr. Wheeler’s (of Carson-
Newman University) take on the Gothic literary movement:

GOTHIC LITERATURE: Poetry, short stories, or novels designed to thrill readers by providing mystery
and blood-curdling accounts of villainy, murder, and the supernatural. As J. A. Cuddon suggests, the
conventions of gothic literature include wild and desolate landscapes, ancient buildings such as ruined
monasteries; cathedrals; castles with dungeons, torture chambers, secret doors, and winding stairways;
apparitions, phantoms, demons, and necromancers; an atmosphere of brooding gloom; and youthful,
handsome heroes and fainting (or screaming!) heroines who face off against corrupt aristocrats, wicked
witches, and hideous monsters. Conventionally, female characters are threatened by powerful or
impetuous male figures, and description functions through a metonymy of fear by presenting details
designed to evoke horror, disgust, or terror (see Cuddon's discussion, 381-82).

. . . British writers in the Gothic tradition include "Monk" Lewis, Charles Maturin, William Beckford, Ann
Radcliffe, and Mary Shelley. American Gothic writers include Charles Brockden Brown, Nathaniel
Hawthorne, and Edgar Allan Poe. Famous novels such as Mary Shelley's Frankenstein and Bram
Stoker's Dracula are also considered gothic novels. In modern cartoons, Scooby Doo would also fall into
the category of mock gothic drama in animated form. Many Gothic novels are ghost stories. Gothic novels
are also called gothic romances.

A) Consider the description above, then explain which aspects of “The Veldt” reflect subtle
variations of an old school Gothic tale here:

Let’s call this story a work of Gothic science fiction. Using the original definition and what
you know from reading this story, define what would constitute a work of Gothic sci-fi like
Bradbury’s tale. FYI: “Science fiction is a genre of speculative fiction that typically deals with
imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space
exploration, time travel, parallel universes, and extraterrestrial life.” Wikipedia
 B) Gothic s -Stories also often portray "sick" houses that mirror the "sick" people who
live in it. A common tenet in literature is that setting can symbolize the internal state of a
character. How is this home "sick"? What clues are given throughout the story
(foreshadowing) that something "very bad" (to quote David McClean) is going on in the
nursery? Which character(s) does the house mirror and symbolize? Explain.

6. Here is a definition of SATIRE from Dr. Wheeler at Carson-Newman College:

SATIRE: An attack on or criticism of any stupidity or vice in the form of scathing humor,
or a critique of what the author sees as dangerous religious, political, moral, or social
standards. Satire became an especially popular technique used during the
Enlightenment, in which it was believed that an artist could correct folly by using art as
a mirror to reflect society. When people viewed the satire and saw their faults magnified
in a distorted reflection, they could see how ridiculous their behavior was and then
correct that tendency in themselves. The tradition of satire continues today. Popular
cartoons such as The Simpsons and televised comedies like The Daily Show make use of
it in modern media.

What aspects of humanity does this story satirize? Consider what Bradbury would be commenting
upon for the sake of changing his society: what are the flaws, follies (foolish behavior), psychological
issues of this family and the world in which they live? Provide textual support (location on story
packet will suffice) that supports your assertions.