The Machine Evolves
By Avinash Vadlamudi
In E.M Foster’s The Machine Stops the main character we follow, Vashti, is going through the daily motions of her life when the author introduces us. Foster quickly shows that the society Vashti lives in is highly technical and mechanical. Her son, Kuno, calls her through an equivalent of what we know as FaceTime. Also, in her room, she has a “Do Not Disturb” button that will block all incoming communications to her. Vashti’s entire life is within the confines of her room and the machine. The same goes for all the people in their society, including her son Kuno. The setting of the story gives the reader context that Earth’s lands are uninhabitable. The machine that man build up now houses and provides utility for its people. But, not only does the machine just provide that utility, it gives everyone what they need on their request. With a press of a button, the citizens can request new air, get medicine on the spot, make the room dark or light, or even just hit the “Do Not Disturb Button” for some peace and quiet.
Foster sets up the environment and Vashti to show how dependent humans are on the machines that they create. Here, the Machine enthralls Vashti’s entire life. She shows no interest in leaving the confines of her room. She shows disgust towards the Earth and the barren land. She shows a strong distaste for natural light. Kuno, on the other hand, finds his passion and love for the natural parts of life that the machine strips away from its people. Vashti has no interest in meeting her son in person to hear what he has to tell her, regardless of the fact that she can travel across the world in a relatively easy manner due to the airships. Again, Foster shows Vashti’s dependency on the machine. She’s so attached to her room and the mundane life that she finds visiting her son burdensome. Foster also depicts Vashti crutching the book of the Machine, a book that serves as an essential bible for the Machine.
With all of these elements and more, the Machine captivates society. The Machine that, instead of bringing people to things, instead brings things to people. The humans aboard lack humanity. They live their day to day lives without nature and without human contact even. Aboard an airship, someone else touches Vashti, which shocks her entirely, as it is not normal to touch people. This is not living; this is not a life I would want to live. Although the story ends with touching final moments between mother and son, Foster projects a sad truth of machinery and technology. If the machine breaks and cannot be fixed, a machine that we rely on for life itself, we suffer the same fate as that machine. Technology should produce tools for us. These tools are for assisting us with day to day tasks or propelling us forward while maintaining our humanity. The Machine instead strips away that humanity.