Victims of Their Parents

Name: Stephanie Maranto

Date: 10 July 2017

Title: Victims of Their Parents

Audience: Professor Paoletti

Purpose: To inform the reader why I believe the children’s actions were justified in the short story, The Veldt.

Thesis: Wendy and Peter Hadley’s sinister behavior is understandable considering their parents willingness to substitute technology for their parental duties.

Word Count: 787

Stephanie Maranto

Professor Paoletti

ENG 112. 882

10 July 2017

                                                Victims of Their Parents

Are George and Lydia Hadley the new faces of Jose and Kitty Menendez? In 1989, brothers Lyle and Eric Menedez murdered their parents Jose and Kitty. With parents too busy to spend much time caring for Lyle and Eric, they were often spoiled and left to be raised by hired help. When the brothers discovered their father, Jose was about to stop supporting them they decided to kill both parents. Allowing the brothers to inherit all the power and control for themselves, much like the Hadley children. In Bradbury’s short story, The Veldt George and Lydia Hadley purchase a new home full of modern technology. The new home does everything for them and their young children Wendy and Peter. The nursery quickly becomes the children favorite room, it does for them everything a parent should do for a child. Spending all their time in the nursery the children start to view the room as their new parents. When George finally realizes his mistake, and threatens to shut down the room, it’s too late. The children no longer recognize him as their father or any kind of authority. When threatened with the shutdown of the nursery, Wendy and Peter conjure a plan to rid their new world of their meddlesome parents and kill them. Wendy and Peter Hadley’s sinister behavior is understandable considering their parents willingness to substitute technology for their parental duties.

 It’s clear that Wendy and Peter are victims of their parent’s lack of parenting skills. George and Lydia never set boundaries for their children, instead they attempted to reduce their parental responsibilities by allowing technology to raise their children. When physiologist David McClean says, “You’ve let this room and this house replace you and your wife in your child’s affections,” it becomes evident that unlimited access to technology has resulted in an absence of attachment to their parents (205). When Wendy and Peter are isolated by their constant use of technology it closes them off to the world. Their lack of interaction with their parents and other humans has made them cold hearted and disjointed from human emotions. When parents are too busy, lazy or just not competent enough to raise their own children, it can lead to devastating consequences.

The house hinders and spoils the children by doing everything for them. When Peter says, “Would I have to tie my own shoes instead of letting the shoe tier do it? And brush my own teeth and comb my hair and give myself a bath?”, he further demonstrates his total dependence on the house to exist (203). The children rely on the nursery for everything it even controls their imagination. Since technology takes care of the children’s needs they start to believe their parents have no value. As Wendy and Peter spent more time in the nursery, they create a new world of their own where they are in control and have the power. The nursery becomes their new parents and family. Also, becoming their new reality by leaving their old life behind. They no longer have a need for their parents nor do they care about them.