Is over-reliance on technology leading humans to their own demise? IIn Ray Bradbury's short story "The Veldt," set in a dystopian future where technology controls every aspect of daily life, the author depicts a family living in an automated house to warn us of the dangers of such a future. The parents, George and Lydia, start to worry about their children's growing violence, fueled by the virtual reality nursery that projects a scene of an African Veldt with lions hunting two unknown people. This foreshadows the parents' final fate, but they remain oblivious and only become cautious of the technology around them. They confront their children, who refuse to tell the truth, and then regret having spoiled them. Despite their caution and regret, George and Lydia's decision to shut off the house and leave proves futile as the children trap them in the nursery, George and Lydia desperately try to escape but are eventually devoured by the very technology they thought they could control. This essay will examine how the characters of George and Lydia are portrayed as cautious, regretful, and desperate, using literary devices such as foreshadowing, characterization, and symbolism.
In Ray Bradbury's "The Veldt," the characters George and Lydia are portrayed as cautious as they begin to notice their children's behavior
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“Mr. Hadley looked at his wife and they turned and looked back at the beasts edging slowly forward crouching, tails stiff. …And suddenly they realized why those other screams bad sounded familiar”. Despite their caution, they end up being devoured by the lions in the virtual reality nursery. This tragic ending shows the dangers of over-reliance on technology, as it can become too powerful to control. Bradbury uses symbolism to illustrate how humans can become slaves to technology, leading to their ultimate