The Veldt Technology Quotes

How we cite our quotes: (Paragraph)

Quote #1

His wife paused in the middle of the kitchen and watched the stove busy humming to itself, making supper for four. (7)

Bradbury doesn't like to waste time, so by paragraph seven, we see Lydia's problem: she's a wife and she's not making dinner because she has a gadget to do the work. And what's a wife without cooking? (In the 1950s, maybe not much; today, maybe a scientist.)

Quote #2

They walked down the hall of their soundproofed Happylife Home, which had cost them thirty thousand dollars installed, this house which clothed and fed and rocked them to sleep and played and sang and was good to them. (10)

All right already, we get the idea: the house was expensive. Well, the narrator only mentions this cost once (and later, mentions the cost of the nursery), but it does make us think that the problem here might be related to consumerism. Plus, this quote reminds us of Quote #9 under our theme of Dissatisfaction. What if they bought the technology they wanted, rather than the technology that was new and expensive?

Quote #3

"But I thought that's why we bought this house, so we wouldn't have to do anything?" (55)

In this story, technology is all about convenience, right? This is George talking, but notice that later in the story… well, we won't spoil the surprise, just click on over to Quote #6.