Machines In The Veldt By Ray Bradbury

Machines are gradually becoming more advanced and independent. For example, a robot called “Tug” works in hospitals to care for sick patients. Therefore, Technology does have its benefits, but the author of “The Veldt”, Ray Bradbury, says technology should not be a priority. Bradbury compares the machines in the house to the caregivers of the children and shows the tension in the family is a cause of the increasing appearance of machines in the household. Ray Bradbury conveys the theme that we should not depend too much on technology through symbolism and external conflict in “The Veldt”.

The use of symbolism by Bradbury implies that humans can become too dependent on electronics and start to depend of them. Near the beginning, Lydia comes to a realization that the house is taking over. She states, “The house is wife and mother now, and nursemaid.” In addition, she admits her feeling of uselessness is due to the house. Unfortunately, this causes Lydia to compare her efficiency to the machine’s efficiency, displaying her insignificance (Bradbury 3). Later In the story, David McClean confirms Lydia’s uselessness by saying, “this room is their mother and father, far more important in their lives than their real parents.” Then, he continues on saying that they would starve if anything went wrong in

Near the end of the story, Peter threatens, “I don’t think you’d better consider it anymore, Father.” Peter’s quote lets the audience know that how the children treat their parents. Later in the story, David McClean states the conflict by saying, “children…feel persecuted by parents constantly….” McClean’s perspective on a child and parent’s relationship is true for the Hadley family. Peter Hadley has grown too close to electronics and cannot function without them (Bradbury