E. M. Forster's short story "The Machine Stops" explores a dystopian future where humanity lives underground, relying entirely on a vast Machine for all needs. The protagonist, Vashti, is a lecturer who communicates with her son Kuno through technology but struggles to understand his desire for direct human connection. Themes of isolation, dependence on technology, and the loss of individuality are prevalent as Kuno seeks to experience the surface of the Earth. This story serves as a cautionary tale about the dangers of over-reliance on technology and the importance of human relationships. Ideal for readers interested in speculative fiction and critiques of modern society.

Key Points

  • Explores themes of isolation and technology dependence in a dystopian society.
  • Follows Vashti and Kuno's struggle for human connection amidst technological reliance.
  • Highlights the consequences of living underground and losing touch with nature.
  • Serves as a cautionary tale about the dangers of over-reliance on machines.
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The Machine Stops
by E. M. Forster
First published in the Oxford and Cambridge Review, November 1909
1 The Air-Ship
Imagine, if you can, a small room, hexagonal in shape, like the cell of a bee. It is lighted
neither by window nor by lamp, yet it is filled with a soft radiance. There are no apertures
for ventilation, yet the air is fresh. There are no musical instruments, and yet, at the moment
that my meditation opens, this room is throbbing with melodious sounds. An armchair is in
the centre, by its side a reading-desk — that is all the furniture. And in the armchair there
sits a swaddled lump of flesh — a woman, about five feet high, with a face as white as a
fungus. It is to her that the little room belongs.
An electric bell rang.
The woman touched a switch and the music was silent.
“I suppose I must see who it is”, she thought, and set her chair in motion. The chair,
like the music, was worked by machinery and it rolled her to the other side of the room
where the bell still rang importunately.
“Who is it?” she called. Her voice was irritable, for she had been interrupted often
since the music began. She knew several thousand people, in certain directions human
intercourse had advanced enormously.
But when she listened into the receiver, her white face wrinkled into smiles, and she
said:
“Very well. Let us talk, I will isolate myself. I do not expect anything important will
happen for the next five minutes — for I can give you fully five minutes, Kuno. Then I
must deliver my lecture on ‘Music during the Australian Period’.”
She touched the isolation knob, so that no one else could speak to her. Then she touched
the lighting apparatus, and the little room was plunged into darkness.
“Be quick!” she called, her irritation returning. “Be quick, Kuno; here I am in the dark
wasting my time.”
But it was fully fifteen seconds before the round plate that she held in her hands began
to glow. A faint blue light shot across it, darkening to purple, and presently she could see
the image of her son, who lived on the other side of the earth, and he could see her.
“Kuno, how slow you are.”
He smiled gravely.
“I really believe you enjoy dawdling.”
“I have called you before, mother, but you were always busy or isolated. I have some-
thing particular to say.”
“What is it, dearest boy? Be quick. Why could you not send it by pneumatic post?”
“Because I prefer saying such a thing. I want —”
“Well?”
“I want you to come and see me.”
Vashti watched his face in the blue plate.
“But I can see you!” she exclaimed. “What more do you want?”
“I want to see you not through the Machine,” said Kuno. “I want to speak to you not
through the wearisome Machine.”
“Oh, hush!” said his mother, vaguely shocked. “You mustn’t say anything against the
Machine.”
“Why not?”
“One mustn’t.”
“You talk as if a god had made the Machine,” cried the other. “I believe that you pray
to it when you are unhappy. Men made it, do not forget that. Great men, but men. The
Machine is much, but it is not everything. I see something like you in this plate, but I do
not see you. I hear something like you through this telephone, but I do not hear you. That
is why I want you to come. Pay me a visit, so that we can meet face to face, and talk about
the hopes that are in my mind.”
She replied that she could scarcely spare the time for a visit.
“The air-ship barely takes two days to fly between me and you.”
“I dislike air-ships.”
“Why?”
“I dislike seeing the horrible brown earth, and the sea, and the stars when it is dark. I
get no ideas in an air-ship.”
“I do not get them anywhere else.”
“What kind of ideas can the air give you?”
He paused for an instant.
“Do you not know four big stars that form an oblong, and three stars close together in
the middle of the oblong, and hanging from these stars, three other stars?”
“No, I do not. I dislike the stars. But did they give you an idea? How interesting; tell
me.”
“I had an idea that they were like a man.”
“I do not understand.”
“The four big stars are the man’s shoulders and his knees.
The three stars in the middle are like the belts that men wore once, and the three stars
hanging are like a sword.”
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“A sword?”
“Men carried swords about with them, to kill animals and other men.”
“It does not strike me as a very good idea, but it is certainly original. When did it come
to you first?”
“In the air-ship —” He broke off, and she fancied that he looked sad. She could not
be sure, for the Machine did not transmit nuances of expression. It only gave a general
idea of people — an idea that was good enough for all practical purposes, Vashti thought.
The imponderable bloom, declared by a discredited philosophy to be the actual essence of
intercourse, was rightly ignored by the Machine, just as the imponderable bloom of the
grape was ignored by the manufacturers of artificial fruit. Something “good enough” had
long since been accepted by our race.
“The truth is,” he continued, “that I want to see these stars again. They are curious stars.
I want to see them not from the air-ship, but from the surface of the earth, as our ancestors
did, thousands of years ago. I want to visit the surface of the earth.”
She was shocked again.
“Mother, you must come, if only to explain to me what is the harm of visiting the
surface of the earth.”
“No harm,” she replied, controlling herself. “But no advantage. The surface of the earth
is only dust and mud, no advantage. The surface of the earth is only dust and mud, no life
remains on it, and you would need a respirator, or the cold of the outer air would kill you.
One dies immediately in the outer air.”
“I know; of course I shall take all precautions.”
“And besides —”
“Well?”
She considered, and chose her words with care. Her son had a queer temper, and she
wished to dissuade him from the expedition.
“It is contrary to the spirit of the age,” she asserted.
“Do you mean by that, contrary to the Machine?”
“In a sense, but —”
His image is the blue plate faded.
“Kuno!”
He had isolated himself.
For a moment Vashti felt lonely.
Then she generated the light, and the sight of her room, flooded with radiance and
studded with electric buttons, revived her. There were buttons and switches everywhere —
buttons to call for food for music, for clothing. There was the hot-bath button, by pressure
of which a basin of (imitation) marble rose out of the floor, filled to the brim with a warm
deodorized liquid. There was the cold-bath button. There was the button that produced
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FAQs

What is the main conflict in The Machine Stops?
The main conflict in "The Machine Stops" revolves around the differing perspectives of Vashti and her son Kuno regarding their reliance on the Machine. Vashti is content with her isolated life, communicating only through technology, while Kuno yearns for direct human experiences and the natural world. This clash of values leads to Kuno's desire to visit the surface of the Earth, which Vashti vehemently opposes, fearing the dangers of the outside world. The story ultimately questions the implications of a society that prioritizes technological convenience over genuine human connection.
What themes are explored in E. M. Forster's The Machine Stops?
E. M. Forster's "The Machine Stops" delves into several significant themes, including the dangers of technological dependence, isolation, and the loss of individuality. The story illustrates how humanity's reliance on the Machine has led to a disconnection from nature and each other, emphasizing the importance of direct human interaction. Additionally, it critiques the idea of progress when it comes at the cost of personal freedom and emotional depth. Through the characters of Vashti and Kuno, Forster highlights the struggle between comfort and the need for authentic experiences.
How does Kuno's character differ from Vashti's in The Machine Stops?
Kuno's character in "The Machine Stops" contrasts sharply with Vashti's. While Vashti is deeply entrenched in the comforts provided by the Machine and prefers to communicate through technology, Kuno seeks to break free from this dependency. He desires to experience the surface of the Earth and connect with nature, representing a longing for authenticity and human connection. Kuno's actions challenge the status quo of their society, making him a symbol of resistance against the dehumanizing effects of technological advancement.
What is the significance of the setting in The Machine Stops?
The setting of "The Machine Stops" plays a crucial role in illustrating the themes of isolation and technological dependence. The story takes place in a future where humanity lives underground, completely reliant on the Machine for all aspects of life. This artificial environment highlights the stark contrast between the natural world and the sterile, controlled existence of the characters. The underground setting serves as a metaphor for the emotional and social disconnection experienced by the inhabitants, emphasizing the consequences of abandoning the natural world for technological convenience.

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