The Veldt, Be Careful What You Ask For

 

John Maher

Option #4

 

  In The Veldt, by Ray Bradbury you find a family that seems to have everything one could want in a home. Anything that they need or want is provided for them by the home, their only effort is simply thinking about it. Not only are these things provided for them, the results are better than they could produce on their own. This sounds like a dream come true, or at least something that would appear to be.

  This scenario makes me think of how far we have evolved in last fifteen years. In 1998 we did not have the expectation that all information should be instant, or that we should be able to communicate with multiple people simultaneously. Today we have turned into technology snobs, irritation is guaranteed if we have to wait more than five seconds for a file to load. I am no different, I find myself becoming anxious if I am away from my phone for too long, especially with my last job. I started referring to it as my electronic leash. Even though I would be off the clock I would feel obligated to answer an email that would come through at odd hours of the night.

  I was married three years ago and my wife and I decided to go to Mexico for our honeymoon. After booking our trip we found out that the area that we would be in would not have cellular service and little internet if any at all. At first this was a shock and had us both thinking about what we were going to do if we needed to contact anyone back home; at that moment we both realized how wonderful this would be. This also reminded us of how things were not so long ago. We would be free from our electronic leashes for a whole week. We were excited, just like when the parents in The Veldt decided to go on vacation from their house. They had been so accustomed into relying on the house for everything that they had become dependent on it. The mere thought of doing things for themselves without the assistance of the house was very exciting for them. They wanted to feel independent and normal again.

  Now I am not suggesting that there is a need to give up all of our beloved electronics; I am only saying that it is a nice treat to be free from it all every once and a while.

 

Work Cited

 

Bradbury, Ray, and Gary Kelley. The veldt. Mankato, Minn.: Creative Education, 1987. Print.