The Machine Stops by E.M. Forster
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Blind Intellect
In The Machine Stops by E.M. Forster, a new omnipresent force is the triumph of technology — the victory of mind over matter, of reason over nature. Along with this new force, or Machine, veneration of “ideas” becomes central to civilization. Ironically however, any idea that defies the established way of life in the Machine is scorned upon and deemed invalid. Thus, the term “idea” seems to acquire a new meaning in this civilization. Through the lens of the Machine, Vashti symbolizes knowledge and intellect, while Kuno symbolizes idiocy and ignorance. Through careful analysis of Kuno’s and Vashti’s ironic polarity, “ideas” are seen and understood as circular concepts that guide societal norms, behavior, common sense, and spirituality, created and sustained by the Machine.
Vashti and Kuno, the mother son duo, serve as antithesis’ to each others perception of reality. Vashti, considered an advanced thinker, prefers to communicate with her thousands of friends through the Machine, never leaving her cell. Whereas, her son, Kuno, begs for personal interaction and pleads to his mother, “I want you to come see me”. Perplexed by this request Vashti responds, “But I can see you. What more do you want?”. Vashti’s confusion in response to Kuno’s request is the first rejection to any idea that challenges the established way of life in the Machine. Because connecting with people through the blue plate is the social standard, Kuno’s request seems bizarre and unnecessary to Vashti. Justifying her stance on the matter, Vashti reviews the idea that “the imponderable bloom, declared by a discredited philosophy to be the actual essence of intercourse, was rightly ignored by the Machine”. With knowledgeable confirmation, she acquiesces to stay put in her isolated honeycombed cell. However, when Vashti actually begins her voyage Kuno, she encounters a terrifying social engagement. While aboard the air-ship, sunbeams blind her and she lets out a cry. In this moment, a flight attendant attempts to steady Vashti with a helping hand but Vashti lashes out in discontent, “How dare you!”. Once again, Vashti rejects any social exchange that breaches pre-established “ideas” about social interactions. Although Vashti prides herself on advanced thinking, she avoids any ideas that challenge her beliefs, including social irregularities. One could argue that her expertise title refers to her expert compliance with notions endorsed by the Machine and Book.
Furthermore, while Vashti represents complete knowledge and brilliance, Kuno extracts new ideas about behavior, confronting The Machine, The Book, and Vashti. On the subject of physique Vashti mentions, “By these days it was a demerit to be muscular. Each infant was examined at birth, and all who promised undue strength were destroyed”. In other words, any idea that presents the human body as useful, is disregarded, and extremes are taken to avoid conflict on the matter. On the contrary, Kuno exclaims, “Man is the measure … Man’s feet are the measure for distance, his hands are the measure for ownership, his body is the measure for all that is lovable and desirable and strong”. Not only does Kuno’s idea defy the Machine, but he distinguishes how the human body possess great use. The irony sets in as readers can observe how Vashti, the symbol for knowledge, simply accepts without question that muscles are useless; whereas, Kuno, a symbol for idiocy, thoughtfully constructs a new idea that challenges the preconceived notion. Passionate, Kuno continues, “Cannot you see, cannot all you lecturers see, that it is we that are dying, and that down here the only thing that really lives in the Machine? … It was robbed us of the sense of space and of the sense of touch, it has blurred every human relation and narrowed down love to a carnal act”. Kuno’s disposition threatens all of Vashti’s truths or “ideas”. He opposes the established system of reproduction, human interaction, and life itself. Through instinct, Vashti discredits all ideas Kuno pitches. However, readers can see that Kuno’s ideas are brim with intellectual insight and that Vashti, in fact, suffers from ignorance and foolishness. Nevertheless, all behavioral and societal normalities are constructed and developed from foundational ideologies. For Vashti, these ideals are derived from within and never brought in.
Common sense relies on a deeper foundational meaning and understanding. For Vashti, this meaning is not attainable through direct experience but rather second-hand ideas. In lecture she blatantly preaches, “let your ideas be second-hand, and if possible, tenth-hand, for then they will be far removed from that disturbing element — direct observation”. Vashti exclaims that the best source of knowledge is that which has been processed by others. However, without direct observation or first hand experience, all ideas are regenerated from the same ideas, and no new ideas are brought forth. This is circular reasoning and it is the culprit behind the close-minded ideals of Vashti and the Machine. Completely frightened by anything of the outside world, Vashti exclaims that during her journey she was “seized with the terrors of direct experience” while “greatly retard[ing] the development of [her] soul”. She claims that direct experience with the outer world not only terrorized her, but also butchered a few of her brain cells. Her twisted understanding of knowledge has led her to fear and flee from direct observation. In doing so, ideas that come from the outside world, or ideas that Kuno conceives, Vashti cannot compute. For example, When Kuno begins his story on his