George and Lydia Hadley
Outer characterization
In “The Veldt” by Ray Bradbury, George and Lydia Hadley are a husband and wife who live in a fully automated house with their two children, Peter and Wendy. The technological advancements in the house, including the nursery - which George thinks had “an absurdly low price” (p. 16, ll. 34-35) – suggests that they are well-off financially.
When it comes to their physical appearance, George is only described as having a “sweating face” (p. 16, ll. 14-15) and “squinted eyes” (p. 16, l. 22) because of the heat in the veldt. A scared Lydia is depicted as “watery-eyed” (p. 18, l. 14) as she asks her husband to shut down the house. The lack of details about the spouses’ physical appearance highlights that the focus of the story is on their behavior and on the effects the house has on their family.
Inner characterization
George and Lydia are m...