“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.