Foerster’s “The Machine Stops” is a great read. I had actually read other stories that are similar to this: society over-relying on technology and then punished by it. The biggest difference between “The Machine Stops” and the other stories is that within TMS, The Machine actually stops itself, and the society is “freed.” While reading the short, Vashti’s “worshiping” of the machine was spine-chilling because in a way I could see it happening to society today. We may not worship technology but we definitely have gotten to a point where we cannot leave the house or even go to the restroom without our phones.
Foerster gives a extreme version of relying on technology, but nonetheless his point of over-reliance on technology is depicted. The conversation between Kuno and Vashti is realistic, showing a kind of laziness to see even your loved ones. I’ve always loved dystopian stories because they show an extreme version of society, but gives you the motivation to try to change even a little bit.