Technology In The Veldt By Ray Bradbury

In a futuristic world where technology has become an integral part of daily life, the bonding time for families can be taken for granted. Whether it may be in completing daily chores or interacting with family, bonding time can become hindered by technology, due to it posing as a distraction and its usefulness in completing those tasks. The short story “The Veldt” by Ray Bradbury explores the consequences of the Hadley family's overreliance on the Happylife Home, which they use in exchange for sacrificing their bonding time with each other. Set in a distant future where technological advancements have revolutionized human interactions, the story follows a wealthy family that resides in an automated home, complete with cutting-edge amenities

The Happylife Home becomes a tool for the children to manipulate their parents, using the advanced technology to fulfill their desires. Peter and Wendy Hadley use their knowledge of the Happylife Home to convince their parents to let them keep the African veldt. Peter threatens his father stating: "I don’t think you’d better consider it any more, Father” (370). This shows how technology is the root cause for the children wanting to manipulate their parents as means to keep using the Happylife Home. Furthermore, the technology in "The Veldt" creates a sense of entitlement in the children, leading to a breakdown in familial relationships. The children become so attached to the Happylife Home that they feel entitled to it and resort to manipulation when their parents try to take it away. The children attempt to manipulate their parents by stating: "Oh, I hate you" (372) This shows how the children have become entitled to the technology and are willing to exploit their parent’s emotions to keep it. The technology creates a sense of detachment from reality, leading to a lack of empathy and understanding. Virtual reality became a source of addiction that the children grasp onto inorder to feel the happiness that their parents do not give them. One of the ways in which Bradbury highlights the dangers of technology as a catalyst for violence is through the

Another example of technology as a catalyst for violence in the story is the role of the nursery and the way it influences the children's behavior. Latching on to the entertainment given by the technology, Peter felt as though it was acceptable to wish death upon his father (372). This statement highlights the extent to which the children have become dependent on technology and the virtual world. The nursery becomes a space where the children can indulge in their darkest fantasies, creating a sense of invincibility and a disregard for human life. This materializes in the kids thinking that it is acceptable to wish death upon someone. After being locked in the nursery by their children Mr. and Mrs. Hadley are faced with “beasts edging slowly forward crouching, tails stiff” (373). It is implied that the parents were murdered by the lions in the Veldt based on the imagination of their children. To defend their Happylife Home, the children were willing to go to such length as to murder their own parents. They have allowed the Happylife Home to become the center of their family life, to the point where they are unable to function without it. This blurring of boundaries ultimately leads to the children's violent actions, as they are no longer able to distinguish between what is real and what is