The Veldt Literary Analysis

“This room is their mother and father, far more important in their lives than their real parents” (16) says the psychologist, comparing the nursery to the two actual parents. Ray Bradbury’s short story, “The Veldt,” in his science fiction collection The Illustrated Man, creates a dark and futuristic reality about technology. “The Veldt” is about two children named Peter and Wendy who love their nursery, a virtual reality. However, their parents do not want them to play in the nursery anymore which makes the children upset. The final result ends in the consequence of death for the parents because they did not allow Peter and Wendy to continue playing in the nursery. Bradbury’s use of personification, symbolism, and imagery develops fear and emphasize his warning about technology. Bradbury uses personification in the short story to show how much the nursery means to the children, and to show how they treat the nursery as an actual person. Peter and Wendy cherish the nursery because the “room is their mother and
When George Hadley walks into the nursery, he finds something familiar. When his wife asks him what he found, he replies with, “an old wallet of mine” (13). Afterwards, he then finds a scarf that belongs to his wife Lydia. This use of symbolism is to show how Peter and Wendy only look to their parents for money and materials. In addition, Peter and Wendy’s name have a use of symbolism. In the story Peter Pan, Wendy and Peter go off into Neverland and never wish to grow up. In “The Veldt” Peter and Wendy go into their nursery and never want to grow up. Symbolism shows how Peter and Wendy only look to their parents for things they want, and how also they wish to be children forever. This also ties back to Bradbury’s warning because technology seems to be taking over Peter and Wendy’s