The Veldt Short Story Analysis

Dissaccosication

Dissociation is the disconnection or separation of something from something else or the state of being disconnected. Dissociation often occurs when people separate themselves from reality or a certain situation that they just don’t want to face. Being dissociated is like a mouse hiding out and waiting for the cat to leave; it’s like a person watching their own life through a lense. You’re living your life but you are not really apart of it, the theme of dissociation is exemplified in the two short stories: The Veldt by Ray Bradbury and For Esme with love.. by J.D Salinger. The parents in The Veldt and Sorgent X in For Esme with love and squalor exemplifies the theme of dissociation because they are all oblivious to their surroundings and are so separated from reality.

The parents in The Veldt depicts the the theme of disassociation, the parents really don’t have a relationship with their kids. For instance, the family live in a futuristic technology house that does everything for them; which only separate the family from bonding. “His wife paused in the middle of the kitchen and watched the stove busy humming to itself, making supper for four” (Ray Bradbury). Back in the fifties woman cooked and cleaned and nurtured the family, it was the norm, dinner brings the family together so if the mother doesn’t cook and clean and play the role of a mother, how can there be a family bond? There isn’t any and we can see this in the story as the psychologist stated “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. And now you come along and want to shut it off. No wonder there's hatred here. You can feel it coming out of the sky. Feel that sun." (Ray Bradbury). There is no bonding and no connection neither a relationship in the family, they are all disassociated from both reality and their loved ones.

For Esme with love and squalor is another short story where we find the theme of disassociation through the narrator: Sergeant X.

As the story begin Sergeant X is an confident and uplifting man , but it’s towards the middle and end of the story that we see him disassociate from his surroundings and people that like him. For example in the story while everyone was down on the first floor he was up stair on the second smoking and drinking alone separating himself from the rest and using alcohol to numb his pain (J.D Salinger). When an individual chooses to isolate themselves from their surroundings and people, they become lonely and pained and they would use anything to numb the pain. For Sergeant X he begins to separate himself from everyone as he is at war.There is also a sense that Sergeant X is isolated from those around him. Despite being in England with sixty other soldiers, at no stage of the story does X socialize with any of his fellow soldiers . Even when he does socialize, for example with Clay, he doesn’t enjoy his company (J.D Salinger). This shows a great deal of disassociation and how the build up of isolation can affect you as a person without

knowing.

The ideas of being disassociated or isolated from reality is not just seen in movies and read in books, it’s a real life thing. As seen with soldiers who suffer from PTSD Post Traumatic Stress Disorder; they are so traumatized by the war they become disconnected from reality and relive events of the war. This can affect the way they live their lives aside from their disorder, in ways such as, not being a able to maintain a family and job. In other words there certain stressors that trigger the brain and takes them to the time and place the trauma occured. When they go into these episods they behave as if the trauma was happening and they act on it, and this would be very dangerous to people in the workplace, family member and people of society. If not understood properly the person with PTSD can react in a very violent manner which can cause people around them to separate themselves from the individule with PTSD.This can leave the soilders with PTSD to feel alone and disassociate themselves as well.
To summarize, disassociation is a state of being that can also be a horrifying disorder. Many people suffer from this when they can't mentally handle something and disconnect from reality. Disassociation can be voluntery, as seen in the two short stories: The Veldt and For Esme with love… or it can be involunery as seen with PTSD patients.