The Veldt, by Ray Bradbury, is a short story about a modern familythat becomes too dependent on technology and face disastrous consequences for their actions. They are especially dependant on their virtual reality room that is their nursery. The book starts out with Lydia Hadley telling her husband to check the nursery because something is wrong with it. George Hadley goes to check it and they find themselves in an African veldt with lions chasing them and a screaming sound. Lydia is very afraid and she wants to shut the house down because she feels that her and George are beginning to feel useless and the room is beginning to feel too real. George wants to check the room again and when he does the room wont respond. It stays the hot veldt. When the two children Peter and Wendy come home from the carnival they deny that the room is the dangerous veldt and when George walks in its no longer the veldt but a wonderful jungle. He then finds his own bloody wallet hidden in the bushes. He decides to lock the nursery and when he goes to bed he hears screaming that sounds very familiar. In the morning he forbids Peter and Wendy to go in the nursery ever again and Peter begins to threaten him. George calls the psychologist to check out the nursery and when he gets there he tells George that the room is very dangerous and he should shut down the house and take a trip while its resetting. When George and Lydia tell Peter and Wendy they throw a fit and Peter tells George he wishes he was dead. They both plead to go into the nursery one last time before its shut off for good. George relents and lets Peter and Wendy go into the nursery just one more time. Peter locks the door and tells the room to kill Lydia and George. The book ends with Mr. and Mrs. Hadley dying and the children take over the house and kill the psychiatrist.
I think that one of the main themes in the book is spoiling your children never ends well. My first example is when George Hadley says "Nothing is too good for our children"(pg.1) when he is describing the crazy amount of money spent on them. Also on page 18 Lydia says "They're insufferable-lets admit it. They come and go when they like; they treat us as if we were offspring. They're spoiled and were spoiled." My second example is when David McClean comes to the nursery to check it out he says "I sensed only that you had spoiled your children more than most. And now your letting them down in some way." (pg 22)
I would definitely recommend this book to other 7th graders. First of all it has some really cool technology mentioned in it that I wish was real. Also it has a really good surprise ending. I love when a book has a total plot twist and this book had a great one. Another reason why is because it has great moral to the story. It really teaches you and makes you think about your own behavior. That is why I recommend the book.
