| Author | Ray Bradbury |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Science fiction short story |
| Published in | The Saturday Evening Post |
| Publication type | Periodical |
| Media type | Print (Magazine) |
| Publication date | 23 September, 1950 |
"The Veldt" is a short story by Ray Bradbury. It revolves around a family in the distant future, who have distanced themselves from work by taking advantage of new technology, especially a nursery which provides images based on thoughts produced by children.
Plot summary
The parents, George and Lydia Hadley, become frightened by the images in the nursery, which has taken on the appearance of an African veldt, replete with lions and a watering hole. While the nursery is apparently some sort of virtual reality meant to stimulate all senses in response to thought, the parents become unsettled by the realistic sense of the veldt, especially an old wallet of George's which he finds chewed and smeared with blood and saliva, and screaming sounds which sound familiar to George and Lydia. Due to his unsettlement, he decrees that they will 'shut off' the house, which would mean they would have to work, as well as doing things such as walking up and down stairs, brushing their own teeth, and tieing their own shoes. While George is supported in his decision by their psychologist, David McClean, he is vehemently opposed by his children, Wendy and Peter- as McClean explains, the children have effectively replaced their parents with the nursery, and George's attempts to bring them back to reality have been vilified in their minds. In the conclusion of the story, the parents enter the nursery alone, see lions approaching, and scream, realizing 'why those other screams had sounded familiar', strongly implying that the children had been playing out the mauling deaths of their parents in the nursery. As McClean arrives and enters the nursery with the children, the parents are not there, suggesting to the reader that the nursery has become so powerful that it had the power to physically kill them.
Publication
The story first appeared in the 23 September 1950 issue of The Saturday Evening Post. It was later included in the Bradbury short story compilation The Illustrated Man in 1951.
References
- Contento, William G.. Index to Science Fiction Anthologies and Collections, Combined Edition. Retrieved on 2007-10-10.
