When the story was written in 1950, televisions were becoming common household items, kicking off the beginning of modern parental concerns about what media children are consuming (although older concerns certainly exist, particularly with movies, books, and comics). Beyond this, there’s also a fear of technology, a worry that we rely on it too much for our own wellbeing, and a concern that children will be corrupted by it. Wanting devices that make our lives easier is the primary reason we create technology, and we want easy access to technology that entertains us. In a lot of ways, the technology is reminiscent of modern technology, but I think this is primarily because the way we as humans view technology hasn’t really changed. I think it’s really interesting to see how The Veldt looks at the ways we use technology, especially technology in the home. The children use this opportunity to lure the parents to the Nursery’s veldt, where the lions devour the parents, and it is revealed that the lions were always seen killing and eating the parents in the distance. The children are devastated by this and fight and plead, and the parents finally cave and allow them to say goodbye to the Nursery before they shut it off. The psychologist advises that they turn off all of the amenities in their house, including the Nursery, take a vacation, and bring the children for regular sessions with him. George and Lydia are deeply disturbed by the turn their children’s play has taken, and they contact a friend who happens to be a psychologist. The Hadley parents have realised, however, that the children have become fixated on the room as an African veldt, with the death screams of an unknown animal followed by the visuals of lions consuming a carcass in the distance. The Nursery can show them Wonderland and Oz, a cow jumping over the moon, nature settings, and more. The children also have a virtual reality Nursery that conjures whatever setting they imagine to play in. They have air shoots that pull them to the second story, machines that clean the house, cook dinner, deal with their personal hygiene, and more. The story follows the Hadley family, parents George and Lydia and children Wendy and Peter, inside their Happylife Home, a fully automated futuristic home with every luxury. The Veldt by Ray Bradbury is a 1950 short science fiction story originally published in The Saturday Evening Post and later included in the 1951 collection The Illustrated Man. Spoilers ahead for those who have not read the story yet. We are ready to wrap up our 122nd Lite Reads selection, The Veldt by Ray Bradbury. Thank you for your patience with the delays! There were questions as food for thought on social media as people had the chance to read it and think about it. The Feminist Bibliothecary’s Lite Reads: The Veldt by Ray Bradbury, Review