Q & A: "The Machine Stops"
Q: Given the fact that some of Forster’s predictions have begun to materialize in our modern world, what is the likelihood of the hypothetical future depicted in “The Machine Stops” and should readers be afraid of the possibility of that future? A: “The Machine Stops,” by E. M. Forster, focuses on the daily life of Vashti and her virtual interactions with others, including her son Kuno. We are introduced to the possibility of an isolated future–one in which each person resides in a hexagonal room with an assortment of buttons and switches to provide anything they could ever want or imagine. After having destroyed much of the natural world centuries ago (via pollution and an overreliance on technology) no one has any desire to leave or reconnect with the world outside the convenience of their protected bubble. Kuno, the one exception to this seemingly universal mindset, disobeys the rules by venturing to the surface of the e...