The Veldt Summary

The Veldt

Beginning Conversation

  • George and Lydia Hadley discuss the nursery.
  • Lydia expresses her concern and requests George to inspect it or consult a psychologist.
  • She notes the nursery feels different.

The HappyLife Home

  • The Hadleys walk through their HappyLife Home, costing 30,00030,000.
  • The house is automated, providing clothing, food, entertainment, and care.
  • Lights turn on/off automatically via hidden switches.

The Nursery

  • The nursery is 40x40x30 feet, costing 1.5 times the rest of the house.
  • The nursery transforms into an African veldt with realistic sights, sounds, and smells.
  • Features include hot sun, lion grass, water hole scents, and animal sounds.
  • George finds the realism unsettling.

Sensory Details of the Veldt

  • Hidden machines generate wind and smells: lion grass, water hole, blood, dust.
  • Sounds include antelope feet and vultures.
  • A shadow passes overhead.
  • Lydia points out the lions heading to a water hole after eating.
  • They speculate on the animal the lions ate (zebra or baby giraffe).
  • Lydia is nervous.
  • George dismisses a scream they might have heard.

Lions and Realism

  • The lions appear 15 feet away, strikingly real.
  • Sensory overload: dusty fur smell, yellow colors, heavy breaths, meat smell.

Escape

  • Lions run toward George and Lydia, causing them to flee.
  • They escape, but Lydia is crying, and George is laughing, both shocked.
  • George explains the walls are glass with 3D film, smells, and sounds.
  • Lydia remains afraid, finding it "too real."

Actions and Reactions

  • Lydia asks George to forbid Wendy and Peter from reading about Africa and lock the nursery.
  • George is hesitant due to the children's attachment to the nursery.
  • He recalls their anger when he locked it before.
  • George locks the door despite his reluctance.
  • Lydia suggests shutting off the house and taking a vacation.

Dissatisfaction with Automation

  • Lydia feels useless, unable to compete with the house's automation (e.g., automatic body wash).
  • She observes George's increasing reliance on smoking, alcohol, and pills, feeling unnecessary.

Fear and Distrust

  • Lydia expresses concern that the lions might escape.
  • George dismisses her fear, though the door shakes.

Dinner and Reflection

  • Wendy and Peter are at a plastic fair.
  • The automated dining table provides food.
  • George reflects on the nursery and its impact on the children.
  • He acknowledges the children are spending too much time in the African setting.
  • The nursery reflects the children's thoughts, including death.
  • He considers that Wendy and Peter may be too young for death thoughts.

Nursery Door

  • George walks to the nursery door, hearing a lion roar and a scream.
  • He enters the nursery.

Nursery History

  • Past nursery themes included Wonderland, Aladdin, Oz, Dr. Doolittle, and Pegasus.
  • Current theme is a "bake oven with murder in the heat."
  • Lydia may be right about needing a vacation from the intense fantasy.
  • George recalls hearing lions and smelling them for the past month, but ignored it.

George's Confrontation

  • George stands on the veldt as the lions watch him.
  • He sees Lydia in the hall, still eating, but preoccupied.
  • He tries to change the room to Aladdin, but it fails.
  • The lions remain.

Sticking Pattern

  • Lydia suggests the room is stuck on Africa due to the children's persistent thoughts.
  • She proposes Peter may have tampered with the machinery.
  • George rejects the idea.
  • Lydia emphasizes Peter's high IQ.

Children's Return

  • Wendy and Peter return home, claiming to have been at a plastic fair.
  • The parents question them about the nursery and Africa.
  • The children deny the existence of Africa in the nursery.

Investigation

  • Wendy checks the nursery and reports it is not Africa.
  • George realizes he forgot to lock the door.

Another Reality

  • The room is now a forest with a river, mountain, and Rima the bird girl.
  • George sends the children to bed.

Evidence

  • George finds his wallet in the corner, smelling of hot grass and lion, with tooth marks and blood.
  • He locks the door.

Discussion

  • Lydia and George discuss Wendy's ability to change the scene.
  • They question why she would replace the veldt with the forest scene.
  • George states it's staying locked until he discovers the truth.

Regret

  • George regrets buying the nursery.
  • Lydia mentions it's supposed to help with emotional problems.

Realization

  • George recognizes the children's secrecy and disobedience.
  • He realizes the children are spoiled due to their lack of discipline.

Disconnect

  • Lydia mentions the children's cool behavior since being denied a trip to New York.
  • George plans to have David McClean examine the nursery.

Foreshadowing

  • They hear screams and lion roars downstairs.
  • Wendy and Peter are not in their rooms.
  • They realize the children are in the nursery.
  • The screams sound familiar.

Confrontation

  • Peter asks about locking up the nursery.
  • George says it depends on their behavior.
  • Peter questions what is wrong with Africa.

Standoff

  • George mentions turning off the whole house for a month.
  • Peter finds it terrible, disliking the idea of manual tasks.

Threat

  • George wants Peter to learn how to paint by himself.
  • Peter only wants to look, listen, and smell.
  • George tells him to play in Africa.
  • Peter warns George against considering shutting off the house any more.

Psychologist Arrival

  • David McClean arrives for breakfast and to assess the trouble.

Assessment

  • George asks David to examine the nursery, recalling his visit a year ago.
  • David recalls usual violences and paranoia, but nothing extreme.

Screams

  • George explains he locked the nursery, but the children broke in.
  • Terrible screams come from the nursery.
  • George asks the children to leave without changing the scene.

What's Happening

  • The men study the lions, eating whatever they caught.
  • David studies all four walls.

Doctor's Orders

  • David is having factual and emotional findings.
  • David recommends tearing down the room and therapy for the children for a year.

What's Wrong

  • The room creates destructive thoughts instead of helping them go away.
  • The room has replaced George and Lydia in the children's feelings.

Hatred

  • George would go hungry if the kitchen failed and wouldn't know how to cook an egg.
  • Shutting off the room will shock them, but must do it.

Worry

  • The lions finish eating and watch the men.
  • David feels worried and wants to leave.

What If

  • George says, "The lions look real, don't they? I don't suppose there's any way…"
  • David asks, "What?"
  • George says, "…that they could become real?"