"The Veldt" by Ray Bradbury – Flashcards

George and Lydia—parents. Peter and Wendy—children. Dr. David McClean—psychologist (also Ray Bradbury's voice).

Internal—parents feel like they are being replaced. External—the children hate their parents and want them dead.

Unrelenting, oppressive, "smell of blood," tense, creepy, cold, "the house was full of dead people."

Heavy, grave.

Don't let technology replace/change your humanity by letting it become more important than other people. Four questions: a. title; the veldt reflects children. b. character change; George realizes the nursery is wrong. c. conflict/resolution; ends negatively. d. direct statements about life; David McClean. ("You let this room replace you and your wife in your children's affections. Like many others, you built it around creature comforts.")

Future, in Happylife Home, the nursery is an African veldt. Three functions: a. create mood; the deathly African veldt. b. reveals character; direct reflection of Peter and Wendy's minds. c. cause or influence action; cause parents to shut down the nursery.

Peter and Wendy are characters from Peter Pan (stressing their youth), Aladdin, Alice in Wonderland, the "Scrooge" from A Christmas Carol.

Introducing Happylife Home and characters, reveals that George and Lydia are worried about the nursery/their children.

George and Lydia see lions, discover chewed wallet, bloody scarves, familiar screams, vultures, Peter threatens parents, David McClean examines house.

George decides to shut down the house and the nursery.

Children throw a fit and beg to open the nursery again.

Parents are tricked into being eaten.

Peter and Wendy are described as innocent children with "peppermint cheeks" but in reality they are little psychopaths (in Daria's words).

The veldt becomes representative of the children's hatred towards parents, quite literally too.

The chewed wallet, the familiar screams, the bloody scarf, the vultures, the constant mentions of not knowing what the lions are eating, "can they become real," etc.