Ray Douglas Bradbury's 'The Veldt'

Ray Douglas Bradbury once said “We have too many cellphones. We’ve got too many Internets. We have to get rid of those machines. We have too many machines now.” Bradbury was born in Waukegan, Illinois, on August 22, 1920. Growing up, he would read many short stories by well known authors. He loved science fiction, as most his childhood revolved around it. He had a huge passion for it. He has written many stories. Bradbury had a huge conflict with our generation. And, that was the use of technology. Bradbury was a huge technophobe. He would use a typewriter instead of a computer, and walk to places without using a car. “The Veldt” is one of Bradbury's many stories. It is mainly about a family who goes through some problems with their technology
based home, which has had a big negative impact on their two young kids. Another story by Bradbury named, “There Will Come Soft Rains” is well related to “The Veldt”. The story mainly focuses on a house that has been empty, probably for years from a nuclear bomb, and is being described as lonely and destroyed. In these two stories, Bradbury showed that technology has shaped our world differently and possibly horribly, which is a huge problem relevant to our world today.
“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 their real parents.” This quotation (page 179) indicates that affections being used are negative. The two children are used to having the nursery on. After their parents noticed that they have all been lazy and uneducated, George Hadley decided to turn off the nursery. Wendy and Peter loved the nursery. The kids scream and cry, begging for the nursery to not be shut down. This exposed their true feelings towards it. Keep in mind that the nursery is high technology based. The kids think of it as “their parents”. As evidence in the story have stated, Wendy and Peter are distant from their real parents. Problems started to evolve. So, things got out of control and has completely taken over the kid's life with a negative impact. David McClean, the psychologist has also claimed that the whole family won't ever live a normal life because of the way they are spoiled. He said that f their house were to be destroyed one day somehow, they will be useless. The house does everything for them. As a result, they will be clueless on how to do the simplest things such as cook, tie shoes, and other activities. This contributes to the the theme because because of how technology has badly shaped this family to the point where things won't, and probably will never go back to normal.
According to the story, “There Will Come Soft Rains,” the house was empty and lonely. It was also completely destroyed. Technology can indeed destroy many lives. The whole city of neighborhood is wiped out. There are no humans alive at this point. But, what started everything to die is the problem. The use of advanced technology in this specific house is what caused it to be bombed, in this case, a nuclear weapon. If it wasn't for the technology, none of the horrible wipeout would've happened. This house keeps its natural routine. Keeps in mind that the family is nowhere to be seen. The house reminds the family, whom are gone, about certain dates. It also cooks breakfast for them and completes chores. Unaware of the family’s non existence, this house has advanced technology. Thus, the machines can be powered and used without human use. The house continued “living” with or without them. This type of technology took over their world, and completely destroyed it. It lead to the family's death, and everyone else’s lives too.
Today, most of us people feel isolated or are isolated.
Technology is the reason for us not communicating with each other as much as we should be. It's important to communicate in a way where we understand each other very clearly. When using our devices, we are stuck in our own little worlds unless we choose not to. But many prefer being alone rather than talking with friends or family and communicating. Lack of content between us is changing many people. They are less likely to share any problems going on in their lives. Due to isolation, many kids, or anyone in general, may have the need to feel isolated as well and won't fit in with others. This leads to depressiom and many other things that ca be worse. Many of us today are highly uneducated. We rely on technology to give us many answers instead of learning the proper way, like we should have. We have all seen or experienced several changes of behavior due to technology in our society. This change isn't exactly a positive change, though. This leads to poor living habits. For example, lack of social skills. We lose the ability to read body language and understand things. But, many are becoming more violent due to the media. One thing we don't want in this world is more violence.
One of the most important messages Bradbury is trying to convey in his stories is how our lives are not the best with the use of technology. It's has shaped our lives poorly and has caused a bad impact. Technology, in some cases, is bad, misused, and violent. Think about it. Look at our world. How would it be if we didn't have a problem with this. Very different, right? Many things have changed over the years. And, it might be getting even
worse.