Category: JH Moon

Communication, connection, sensibility, free will, these are the keywords that popped up in my mind after reading Forster’s sci-fi. Setting the background in an imagined, highly developed society, Forster conveys his idea of anti-utopia and inquiry into the human-machine relationship through two different ways — the fierce struggle of rebels like Kuno and the compliance of the mass like Vashti. On one hand, the advanced technology does free people from the pain of disease and bring convenience, but on the other hand, it also deprives people’s sense of the space and the capability of communication. In other words, although the living conditions on the material level seem to be better, the development of one’s free will is reversed. The mind is supposed to generate more meaningful and original thoughts, but the result is the opposite. The word “idea” is frequently mentioned in the story, but the valuation and definition of this word are manipulated by the big machine. In this case, although people are still communicating with each other, it doesn’t count as the real “communication” but just the transfer of information. The irony in this fiction is to see how human beings chase the development of technology for freedom and well being but end up imprison themselves in small cells physically and mentally.

It’s intriguing to find the inquiry into the relationship between human and machine in a sci-fi written one hundred years ago that echoes some of the relevant critics today. The prediction of the powerful control of the big machine parallels the fear and despair in a high-tech society depicted in Black Mirror. And the homogenization of objects and human beings, the lack of communication and the isolated individuals remind me of the world in 1984. What is in common in these works are the worries of human being controlled and not “being human” anymore. It’s the ability to think independently and exchange ideas through communication that differentiates us from other species. And the anxiety is there may be a decline in this ability due to the rapid development of technology. I think we don’t have to be as pessimistic as Forster does in this fiction, but it is a warning for us on the overdependence of the technology and the communication channels. Instead of focusing on the tool itself, we should pay more attention to the original thoughts conveyed through the tool. Is not the tool but people’s self-abandonment that brings human beings to the bad ending. We should keep that in mind — not before “the machine stops” but before the machine takes control of us.

“The Machine Stops” by E.M. Forster displays a world ruled by technology, and life on surface Earth as nothing. More specifically, the author pinpoints two main character’s relationship: Kuno, and his mother — Vashti, to display the difference of opinion between heavily believing and relying on The Machine, and a curious but determined mind to fight the system and understand the “outside”. Some themes I picked up from this reading, was the imagery of the story and the dialogue to portray this message. It really made me as a reader fully intrigued and entangled in knowing what it is like to be living in a world that is predominately dictated by technology.

An underlying message could be that — being on our phones, laptops, and devices too much could literally “blind” us from seeing the world…what’s right in front of us. A metaphor that Forster used, was Vashti pulling down the blinds in the Air-Ship to avoid any type of light that Nature emits, as well as to avoid observing the different locations her and her fellow passengers were going over. Even the flight attendant was trying to advise her to close the blinds and stay focused on the journey provided by The Machines, instead of trying to gain more insight, perspectives, or ideas about the outside world. Another example, could be when the passenger next to her got so angry that she touched her, for touching others was sort of a taboo act. I can relate this Air-ship experience to my point: being on technology so much can literally blind you to the outside world, or reality.

Relating this back to my life, I know that when I’m in public using my phone, I make sure not really be bothering anyone, let alone touch them because not only am I engulfed in my social media, but so is the next person. Our heads are all down focused on this singular device that we worship so much (how Vashti and her other passengers did with The Machines) and we see nothing but this screen, there could possibly be no world outside of technology. However, if we allow technology to take over our full focus, it could potentially “kill” our perceptions, our dreams, and our ideas about everything.

“The Machine Stops” shows us a highly developed mechanical era where humans live in the small, underground rooms with all kinds of buttons and switches to meet their life demands. People use the visual “round plate” (1) to communicate with each other and get engaged in social activities. Illness would be cured by medical machines while long-distance trip would be easily managed by giant airships… Machines become the dominant role of humans’ life. Meanwhile, humans also get used to living with the machines, however, feel strange to directly interact with each other.

This is a contradictory and ironic civilization, human beings create the machines, however, worship these machines as if they were gods. Humans are gradually blinded to the real world, deprived their living ability and eventually become a foolish slave to the machine system. As a result, when the machines stop operating in the end, human society is stuck in disorder and panic.

Though this story is written down 100 years ago, the situation it described still shares a lot of similarities with our life nowadays: video chat, the automatical machine system, online communication taking place of face-to-face talk…Just like Kuno says “its hum penetrates our blood, and may even guide our thoughts” (13). It is also the time for us to think about the relationship between humanity and machine in our life: does our mind truly follow the technology? Should we set an ethical line for the development of the technology?

The Machine Stops by E.M. Forster depicts the costs and benefits of a society where the population is much dependent on technology. Vashti and her son Kuno are two characters described in the story which help depict a central theme of the piece that suggests how the heavy usage of technology can negatively influence the relationship between others. Something I found astonishing was how the article was published only in 1909, and the predictions Forster makes about technology such as “Air-ships” and “Machines” are incredibly accurate to those of which exist in our society today. Not only are the technological predictions accurate, but also the hypothesized impact of technology on human relationships.

The corrupt machine-controlled world which Forster describes makes me think about the consequences of our human race being so heavily influenced and impacted by the usage and innovation of technology. As a result of being born into a generation so heavily reliant on smartphones, I personally cannot imagine a world where I am not able to rely on my smartphone for directions, communication, entertainment, and unlimited knowledge (google). As a result of my dependence on technology; articles, and stories such as this often prompt me to think about how technology influences the relationships I have with the people around me. But, in another sense, I also appreciate the benefits which come along such entities. Such as being able to have constant communication with my family via Skype, texting, etc., despite living in another country thousands of miles away from home.

The Machine Stops predicts the loss of emotion which exists with the introduction of technology. As our society continues to innovate and become more and more reliant on technology, I hope that the world can find a balance where human interaction does not deteriorate. Although, by the looks of it this is just where we’re headed.