How we cite our quotes: (Paragraph)
Quote #1
"But nothing's too good for our children," George had said. (12)
Ah, the problem of being a good parent: George wants to make his kids happy and, of course, that means giving them stuff. Good stuff. It's fun to imagine George giving the kids everything they ask for at this stage in "The Veldt": "you want a nuclear bomb, Peter—only the best bomb for you!" That would be a much shorter story, but basically the same.
Quote #2
"You know how difficult Peter is about that. When I punished him a month ago by locking the nursery for even a few hours—the tantrum he threw!" (45)
Only kids and Senators can really throw tantrums correctly. (Peter is not yet a Senator). But even though Peter is still a tantrum-throwing kid, he's also totally in charge here.
Quote #3
At dinner they ate alone, for Wendy and Peter were at a special plastic carnival across town and had televised home to say they'd be late, to go ahead eating. So George Hadley, bemused, sat watching the dining-room table produce warm dishes of food from its mechanical interior. (63)
If you're not sure what to write a paper about, you might want to re-read this quote: the kids use technology to break up the family dinner and to give orders to their parents. Dad isn't happy, and he's not in charge. And at the center of it all, we have the house making the family dinner. This is Exhibit A in the argument that technology messes up family roles. (Exhibit B is when the kids use the nursery to kill the parents. Actually, maybe that should be Exhibit A.)
Quote #4
"Run see and come tell."
She obeyed.
"Wendy, come back here!" said George Hadley, but she was gone. (106-8)
Bradbury loves putting lines together to contrast them. So here, Wendy obeys her brother's command but not her dad's. This is not what you would expect in a healthy family.
Quote #5
"We've never lifted a hand. They're insufferable—let's admit it. They come and go when they like; they treat us as if we were offspring." (136)
Bradbury helps us by having George tell us the theme here: the family roles are reversed, and the parents are treated like children. But what's with that opening line? Is George recommending hitting or spanking his children? Note to parents: this is not a good guide for how to discipline your kids.
Quote #6
Peter looked at his shoes. He never looked at his father any more, nor at his mother. (153)
Things are getting worse with the Hadley family, as Bradbury tells us with that "any more." This behavior is new, as Peter gets less friendly with his parents. Or, maybe, Peter just got some boss new shoes. That would be the Sex and the City/"The Veldt" mashup. And that would be awesome.
Quote #7
"I don't think you'd better consider it any more, Father." (171)
Check out how cold Peter is while he delivers this threat. He's not throwing a tantrum (as discussed in Quote #2). He's like a little mob-boss: "Oh, this is a nice family, it'd be a shame if something happened to it." Shiver.
Quote #8
"Can't say I did; the usual violences, a tendency toward a slight paranoia here or there, usual in children because they feel persecuted by parents constantly, but, oh, really nothing." (180)
That "oh, really nothing" kills us. Here David McClean tells us how kids normally feel, which is violent and paranoid—but that's "oh, really nothing." It's nice to know that it's okay that kids aren't all cute smiles and spice. Kids can be mean and they can still turn out to be okay adults. (But still, that doesn't mean you should be a jerk, kiddos.)
Quote #9
"I sensed only that you had spoiled your children more than most. And now you're letting them down in some way." (197)
This is the real problem for George Hadley: he spoiled his kids and then he stopped spoiling them. We don't want to blame George here (okay, maybe we do), but as we learned from the Dog Whisperer, it's important to be consistent. Would this story have a happy ending if George just continued to spoil his kids? Probably… not.
Quote #10
"You've let this room and this house replace you and your wife in your children's affections. This room is their mother and father, far more important in their lives than their real parents." (203)
David McClean gives the expert view on this situation: your family is messed up (he says to George Hadley) because you've let technology take over and now you have no job. We sure are lucky to have a psychologist here to explain everything to us so clearly. That's one bit of tech Bradbury seems to like: the know-it-all.