The Downward Spiral Of E. M. Forster's The Machine Stops

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“The Machine Stops”: A Downward Spiral
Throughout the years many dystopian novels have changed the way we look at our future. From Orwell’s depiction of a society that is ruled by an all seeing eye looking over their shoulders in “1984” to a society where the government has all but collapsed to every man is for himself in Butler’s “Parable of the Sower”. E.M. Forster's short story “The Machine Stops” gives readers another look at a future that seems entirely plausible. In this particular short story, Forster depicts what he imagines would happen if all humans turned their back on physical contact and preferred only to be connect through a machine. The machine not only fulfilled human needs but had even begun to control people’s thoughts.
Eventually, “The Machine” became a life, religion, law, and government to people, it was everything a person needed and desired. The mother, Vashti, did all her tasks with the help of the machine. She listened to music through the machine and didn’t go outside of her place which reduced the human interaction. The reader can observe that Vashti practically worships the machine.
She considers the book …show more content…

Today, many scientists agree that pollution levels in the air are at an all-time high and we may not be able to continue inhaling it. If we can’t live on the surface of the Earth, where will we go? Underground seems like a reasonable idea. Also, with the risk of nuclear war looming over our heads, it’s not hard to imaging moving underground in the future to stay safe. On the other hand, Forster's “The Machine Stops” might be a slight exaggeration. Will we ever get to a point where we do not control technology but technology controls us? Also, a very evident doubt that arises is that if everyone is busy staying at home, who is inventing these machines and bringing us the technology we

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