The Veldt

Page numbers refer to an online edition of the story at Gothic Digital Series at UFSC.

Reading Check

1. The African savannah, or veldt (Page 1)

2. Everything is mechanized. (Page 1)

3. The kids have spent too much time thinking about Africa. (Page 6)

4. To give the children a break from the nursery (Page 5)

5. They are eaten by lions after the children lock them in the nursery. (Page 13)

Short Answer

1. Peter is suggesting that he will retaliate if his father shuts off the house. (Page 9)

2. The nurseries were originally designed to allow psychologists to study the patterns left on the walls, which reflected the child’s mind. They were also meant to allow children to release their destructive thoughts in a harmless manner. (Page 10)

3. The bloody scarf and wallet foreshadow the deaths of George and Lydia. (Page 13)

4. The names Peter and Wendy are a reference to Peter Pan and Wendy Darling in J. M. Barrie’s stories. Peter Pan is a child who refuses to grow up, and Peter and Wendy in “The Veldt” are spoiled children interested only in indulging their fantasies. (Various pages)