The terrifying veldt

The Veldt

The Veldt by Ray Bradbury is the story of a futuristic family who bought a house that did everything for them the house cleaned, made dinner, brushed their teeth and bathed them. But one of the best aspects of this house was the nursery where the kids of this family, Peter and Wendy, can imagine anything they like and it will be projected in three dimensional video all over the walls so they feel like its happening in real life. But in this story the kids imagination is creating a terrifying african Veldt and their parents George and Lydia are worried because that veldt feels too realistic and the kids don't seem to want anything pictured on the walls but that violent, overly realistic African veldt. Because of their worries George and Lydia call in their Psychiatrist to look at the nursery and when he does he comes to the conclusion that the kids have a reserved hatred towards their parents because they never do anything for them the house does, so George and Lydia decide they need to shutdown the entire house and take a vacation, but the kids hate this idea and they beg their parents to at least open the nursery for a little while. Later George and Lydia hear their kids screaming for help so they rush to the nursery but once they arrive there is nothing there but the African Veldt, then the door locks behind them and then they realize why the veldt seemed so realistic it was because it was real so at the end they are killed by the african lions of the Veldt.

Characterization

     "I'm afraid." She  came to him  and put  her body against him and cried

steadily. "Did you see? Did you feel? It's too real."

     "Now, Lydia..."

     "You've got to tell Wendy and Peter not to read any more on Africa."

     "Of course - of course." He patted her.

     "Promise?"

     "Sure."

     "And lock the nursery for a few days until I get my nerves settled."(3) 

I think that what Bradbury is trying to show us about the character Lydia with this quote is that she is a good mother that cares for her childrens well being  and she is afraid that they are exposed to any danger. Also it shows that she doesn't want her kids to be thinking about such violent things as african lions she wants them to be sheltered from that until they are a little older and more mature. 

Imagery 

  "Now  the  hidden odorophonics were beginning to blow a wind  of odor at

the two people in the  middle of the baked veldtland. The hot straw smell of

lion grass, the cool green smell of the hidden  water  hole, the great rusty

smell of animals, the  smell of dust like a red paprika in the  hot air."(2)

In here bradbury is using good imagery to show in detail how it would feel to be in this veldt. How it would feel to smell the scents of africa and to show the readers how realistic this nursery was.