Response to The Veldt

In our life, technology plays a role that makes life easeful. However, in  “The Veldt,” technology seems to make life so easy that it’s even not living anymore. The main characters George and his family bought a fantastic house with the most advanced technologies built-in. The high-tech house can accomplish all the daily routines and even taking care of his two children Peter and Wendy. Occasionally, George and his wife Lydia entered the room they named nursery. The nursery is their children’ playground, and the amazing thing about the nursery is that it can virtualize the scene in children’s mind. George and Lydia were placed in an Africa veldt when they stepped into the nursery, and they were shocked by what they saw – lions and cleaned bone of unknown animals. The couple felt that something has out of control and that’s about their beloved children. George and Lydia realized that their life had become so strange after buying the house. They don’t need to do more laundry, cooking, and even taking care of Peter and Wendy. Gradually, the house took over their role as Peter and Wendy’s parents. George wanted to shut off the nursery and start over to live a normal life again, but it might be too late.

The technology in “The Veldt” seems to destroy the fine way of living that existed before. The parents aren’t paying enough attention to their kids anymore, and the children are only playing with the nursery instead of reading and going out to play.  As a result, parents lose control over their kids, and it even becomes worse that the kids grow up to be violent and aggressive. At the end of the story,  the couple was locked in the nursery by their children with the roaring lions. It leaves the reader in suspense that whether the parents get killed in the nursery or not. It is hard for us to believe that such young children who suppose to live in an innocent childhood would have the intention of killing. However, it could also be a warning to people, that the technology may destroy the meaning of life just like George and Linda ignored their children’s growth. Technology is cold, but we should not become cold too because of the overwhelming technologies. Thus, we have to find a balance between humanity and technology, and that’s what we should concern shortly especially for us as engineers.

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