Category: JH Moon

“The Machine Stops” by E.M Forster is a science-fiction short story that projects the dystopic possibilities that technology will ultimately bring upon humanity. The short story takes place in an underground society where each member of society lives in an isolated room whilst worshipping “the Machine” which provides them with most of their daily needs.  The main character Vashti is a representation of the ideal member of this society, she spends her time producing and discussing ideas. Her role in the short story is highly juxtaposed with the second main character of the story, her son, Kuno, who lives on the other side of the world stands out as a pillar of opposition in contrast to the rest of the members of society. 

This short story is an eerie interpretation of our modern world as technology has monopolised our day to day functions, especially with the introduction of apps such as ‘wechat’ allows individuals to isolate themselves in their home, not needing to leave their home to eat, or communicate with friends, or to source out other forms of entertainment. This short story critiques technology as it is “[used] for bringing people to things instead of for bringing things to people” eliminating the need for people to acquire their needs physically. Furthermore, the isolation in the small hexagonal cells also represents the physical isolation that is generated as a byproduct of technology.

Ultimately, the Machine collapses, which leads to the demise of the Earth’s population. The author attempts to convey the catastrophic effects that technology may have to our society encouraging readers to attempt to detach themselves from our devices and to make an effort to interact with the world around us.

The short story “The Machine Stops” by E.M. Forster written during the early 20th century addresses the negative role of technology in our lives and the way modern people interact with them. Forster developed this science fictional world of a destroyed Earth where there is a disconnected relation between a mother and son. Throughout the story, the machine played an immense role in the trajectory of humanity and the relationships between people. Although the story is unrealistic and is dramatized, Forster was able to foresee the possible danger of technology such as the issue of human dependency on technology.

The story is indeed a society where everything is controlled by machines and human was heavily depended on it. The author began the story by leading the readers into this world where individuals live and function within a cell. This can be symbolism for how our society is becoming more homogeneous. An example can be the job industry where individuals work in an office building or factories and work in their own little workplace that looks and function just like a cell. But the more serious problem of this story is the human dependency on machines. Vashati, the mother is being characterized as someone who is completely living off of the machines. This machine allows individuals to communicate but without being face-to-face or being able to touch each other. You can see this as a modern communication tool like Wechat, Facebook etc. Vashati’s son, Kuno, on the other hand, doesn’t favor the machine at all. He said to his mother “you talk as if God made the machine”, while his mother says to him “One mustn’t say anything against the Machine,” (Forster).  Her response clearly states not only the importance of the Machine but that we should obey it. Also, Forster capitalized the letter “m” whenever the “Machine” is mentioned. This shows off its significance and how it is held at such high level, that it is worthy of praise. In fact, the machine is far more powerful even though it is us that we created them. Like Kuno says “it is we who are dying, and that down here the only thing that really lives is the Machine” (15). 

My take away from this story is that people today are obsessed with technology, whether it is a smartphone or computers. We live in a world where technology is rapidly advancing making it a necessity to our lives as if it was our way of breathing. It can be seen as a lesson for human advancement in technology and anyone who is building a new technology should reconsider before building it because it can cause these complications that can possibly disturb humanity. 

Machine and technology exist for the most part to improve lives and diminish the hardships or discomfort of completing tasks. In “The Machine Stops” Foerster invents a world in which people have delegated all tasks and reduced all interactions to the Machine. Vashti’s thoughts and dialogue demonstrate an ironic contrast between the uneventfulness of her life and the urgency with which they seek to come up with ideas. Meanwhile, anything that might inspire ideas is hurriedly dismissed. While we use machinery to reduce the effort of completing tasks and leave ourselves time to develop ideas, the development of ideas requires interaction with others in a way that the Machine destroyed. The value and importance of machinery and media is not just the interactiveness between the user and the media but the interaction it facilitates with other people. The story is a grim cautionary tale about human dependence on machinery and a statement that connection, communications, and free thought are put at risk by a life of pure comfort and ease. In relation to this class, the story emphasizes the importance of interpersonal interaction and communication through media, rather than mere interaction with media itself. 

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.