Madeline Nagel
Engl 10103-045, Waggoner
9/1/13
Blog 1
In Ray Bradbury’s The Veldt, a mysterious world is created
within the walls of a nursery through the imaginations of two young children,
Wendy and Peter. This nursery, also known as a veldt, is just one of the
several rooms of George and Lydia Hadley’s smart house, a house they seem to
quickly be losing control of. Although the nursery was originally designed to
“catch the telepathic emanations of the children’s minds and create life to
fill their every desire” (Bradbury 268) and “help them work off their neuroses
in a healthful way” (271), it seems to take a turn for the worst as the
children create an African veldt full of scorching heat, lions, and death.
While I was reading this short story, I initially thought Peter and Wendy were
possibly Peter and Wendy from the children’s movie, Peter Pan. However, as I continued to read I learned I was
incorrect, yet there are numerous similarities to draw between the two. In The Veldt, Wendy and Peter slowly begin
to neglect their parents as they invest their time and imaginations in creating
a magical world full of mystery, anticipation, and dread. They are annoyed with
their parents, and refuse to shut down the smart house and nursery, for fear of
having to be independent and do things on their own. Peter Pan also takes place in a nursery, beginning with Wendy
acting frustrated with her father for making her “grow up”. Peter Pan comes
along, inviting her to join him in traveling to Neverland, a magical world
where their imaginations are the limit and where one does not have to grow up.
A particular gothic trope
stood out to me while reading The Veldt,
and it is also evident throughout Peter
Pan. The sublime is a term used
to describe a powerful feeling of awe and terror inspired by nature; one may
become awe-struck or afraid of elements in nature that don’t seem scary from
afar. In The Veldt, the children
create a world where lions roam, kill, and eat. When looking at the lions from
a distance, they don’t seem dangerous or harmful; after all, the only time one
typically encounters a lion is at a zoo, where they are locked behind steel
bars. However in this African
veldt, it terrifies the children as the lions get louder and closer. In the
same way, Neverland in Peter Pan is
full of pirates, mermaids, and crocodiles. None of these seem frightening, but
while watching the movie one sees how Captain Hook is an evil pirate who wants
to kill Peter Pan. Mermaids are thought of as beautiful sea creatures, but
these mermaids attempt to drown Wendy. And the crocodile who lives in the sea
is on the hunt for Captain Hook. Nerverland is a magical, wonderful world, yet
there are elements of nature that frighten the children and invoke feelings of
suspense and terror. Although Peter Pan
and The Veldt are completely
different stories with different endings, they both contain elements similar to
one another, contributing to their overall significance as children’s stories
and movies.
Bradbury, Ray. “The Veldt.” American Gothic Tales. Ed. Joyce Carol Oates. New
York: The Penguin Group. 264-277.
Print.
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