I would argue that “The Veldt” and “The Commuter” don’t share a lot of similarities. However, they share some aspects that do make them good counterparts to each other. It’s almost as if these two stories run opposite of each other, with “The Commuter” starting from a place that is relatively grounded in reality and ending up within the science fiction genre, and “The Veldt” beginning firmly within Science Fiction and ending with the characters making choices in an attempt to escape from it. The Science Fiction element that they share, and that is at the center of the pieces, is the idea of alternate reality.
This application of an alternate reality presents itself as an augmented reality within “The Veldt”, whereas “The Commuter” juggles the topic as more of a multiversal concept, taking the idea that a singular choice could exist within a separate space and time entirely. “The Veldts” approach is certainly more grounded in reality, but I think it’s for that reason that I preferred “The Commuter”, it had a bit more substance to its mystery. While the other text revolved around its characters, “The Commuter” revolves around its world and setting.
The vast differences between these two pieces mean that the takeaways from each are different. However, they do share one major quality that I believe is meant to be the takeaway. Both of the main characters within the texts are fleeing from the technology, or otherworldliness, they are freeing from what they don’t know. So, in some ways the fear of the unknown is the main driving narrative force in both short stories. This at least for me, due to the endings of each, both grim and full of loss, send the message that the unknown is inevitable, along with the rise of what is to come. You cannot escape the future, and can either learn to accept and grow with it, or be left behind, being the fool muttering about what the world once was.
3 Paragraphs filled with a just amount of opinion and information regarding the main themes of the Commuter and The Veldt, I like the way you chose to list differences last as to make a better takeaway point in your final sentences.
Enjoy reading about the differences between these two stories.
The fear of the unknown is a main component of both pieces. Both stories unfold a mystery, not only to us as the reader but also to the main characters. Even at the end of both plots, we remain with questions about the events that occurred. The unknown mystery derives from the ambiguity of the inexplicable happenings, even after both stories end.
Hey Gabriel, i think you make a good point when you say that both characters from both stories are fleeing from the unknown. I also agree with you that one should learn and grow. I actually liked “The Veldt” more.