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Part 1: The Air-Ship
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Machine Stops, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Technology vs. Nature
Religion and Faith
Simulation vs. Experience
Human Connection
Emotion vs. Rationality
Summary
Analysis
Vashti arrives at Kuno’s room, which is identical to her own. Vashti still feels that the visit is unnecessary, seeing no value in meeting with Kuno in person rather than through the Machine. After all, she is too “well-bred” to even shake her own son’s hand. She tells him the journey has not been “worth it,” full of terrible experiences and slowing down the “development of [her] soul.” She asks him to tell her what he wants to tell her, and then she must leave.
The minor inconveniences of Vashti’s journey have deeply bothered her, and she’s unable to understand why seeing her son in person is any different from seeing him through the Machine. Her attitudes again emphasize both the shallowness of relationships in this society as well as a lack of interest in direct experience unmediated by technology. It’s ironic that Vashti claims to be interested in developing her “soul,” then, since she’s uninterested in things like love, human emotions, and beauty.
Themes
Kuno tells Vashti that he has been threatened with Homelessness. He could not tell her this through the Machine. Homelessness is a form of execution in which the victim is exposed to the outer air, killing them. Since they spoke last, “the tremendous thing” has occurred, and Kuno has been discovered. Vashti doesn’t understand why Kuno has been threatened with homelessness simply for going to Earth’s surface. It is perfectly legal—all one needs to do is summon a respirator and request an “Egression-permit.” But Kuno says he did not get a permit and found a way out “of [his] own.” Vashti, who does not fully understand, says this would be “wrong.” Kuno asks why, and Vashti is shocked.
The mode of execution called “Homelessness” (exposure to aboveground air) again emphasizes humanity’s separation from and hostile relationship with nature. Although the story never directly explains why the air is toxic, it hints that this is the result of humans’ environmental damage. The detail about Homelessness also suggests that the political system in the Machine is oppressive, as anyone who disobeys the Committee of the Machine is harshly sentenced. Kuno never fully explains his motivations for finding his own way out rather than simply requesting a permit. But he is clearly an adventurous character who longs for new experiences, his spirit chafing against his society’s predictable routines. This may have been his sole motive: to do something novel and forbidden.
Themes
Kuno tells Vashti that she is starting to “worship” the Machine, and that she sees it as “irreligious” that he does not let the Committee of the Machine control all his actions. This is the same reasoning the Committee used when they sentenced Kuno to Homelessness. Vashti is enraged by this, insisting that she “worships nothing,” and that the Machine has destroyed all religion and superstition. She insists it is impossible to find a new way out—the Book says that exit is only possible through the vomitories, which require a permit. But Kuno says the Book is wrong.
Vashti’s blind obedience to the Machine is a kind of “religion,” but it’s a hypocritical one. Most people who live underground seem to value logic and rationality, and these values cause Vashti to look down on traditional religions—and at the same time, she denies that her own attitude toward the Machine is religious. Yet it is clear from her behavior that she believes anything that the Book (which she treats like a religious text) or the Committee says is the unquestionable truth. Kuno’s willingness to question their society’s orthodoxy contrasts sharply with Vashti’s obedience and causes tension between the two characters.
Themes
Kuno is physically strong, which is a disadvantage in this society. All infants who seem like they might become too strong are killed at birth, the rationale being that athletic people would grow discontented living in underground rooms, and humans must be adapted to their environments. Just as ancient societies once killed their infants for being too weak, in this society the strong must be euthanized so that “the Machine may progress eternally.”
This detail about how strong infants are killed at birth (which the narrator justifies with cold, detached logic) again suggests that the Committee of the Machine’s rule is oppressive. It also shows how, in this society, technology isn’t adapted to serve human beings—rather, humans are adapted to suit technology, in the name of “progress.”
Themes
Literary Devices
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Kuno tells Vashti that their society has lost “the sense of space,” which, according to Kuno, also means they have “lost a part of ourselves.” In the story that he now begins to tell Vashti, he decided he must regain it, and he started walking outside his room to recapture the meaning of “near” and “far.” He concluded that human beings themselves are the measure of space, as well as the measure of everything else in the world.
Kuno wants to recover part of what has been lost to humanity—namely, direct experience of the world around us. His statement that humans have “lost a part of ourselves” through losing their “sense of space” conveys his belief that people have an innate need for harmony with nature. His conclusion that humanity is the point of comparison for everything in the world reveals his fundamentally humanistic outlook.
Themes
As Kuno walked through the platforms, he realized that their cities must have been built at a time when human beings still breathed the outer air, and that there must have been ventilation shafts. As he searched for one of these possible exits, Kuno worried about doing something that was “not contemplated by the Machine,” but he pushed himself on by telling himself “Man is the measure” and eventually found an opening.
Kuno is unusual in this society because of his urge to disobey the Machine and his dissatisfaction with being confined to his room. He wants to experience reality, not merely the simulation of it. Kuno’s behavior shows that this society has not fundamentally altered human nature, despite its emphasis on rationality and conformity. Even though he has internalized the Machine’s norms to some extent (he worries about doing something “not contemplated by the Machine”) he nevertheless pushes past this doubt to do something forbidden. His realization that “man is the measure” again expresses the story’s fundamental humanism—the belief that humans are fundamentally good and valuable.
Themes
When Kuno found a patch of darkness in the tunnel, he realized it was a ventilation shaft, because everything else in the underground city is artificially lit. He started to loosen the tiles and climb through the shaft, imagining the voices of the dead workmen who built the underground city in the distant past, when humanity still breathed the outer air. The voices urged him on, saying, “You will do it yet, you are coming.” When Vashti hears Kuno tell this part of his story, she is moved by it. She reflects that Kuno had lately asked to be a father but was refused permission, because the Committee of the Machine did not want to pass on Kuno’s traits to the next generation.
Kuno feels an almost spiritual connection to the past, as indicated by the voices he hears of dead human beings from past civilizations encouraging him. This creates the sense that Kuno has an almost cosmic mission of restoring humanity to its natural roots and recovering what it is that makes humans unique. Vashti’s reflection on Kuno’s failed attempt to become a father reveals his desire for genuine human relationships and again highlights society’s attempts to mold human nature to fit the Machine’s needs.
Themes
Literary Devices
After digging his way through much of the ventilation shaft, Kuno went back to his room, and at that point he once again called Vashti to ask her to visit him. Here, Vashti interrupts his story and tells him that it’s making her miserable, and that he is “throwing civilization away,” but Kuno ignores Vashti’s objection and continues his story.
Vashti, who is much better adapted to life underground than Kuno is, views her son’s desire to escape to Earth’s surface without permission as incomprehensible and barbaric. She views their society’s values (routine, obedience, practicality, and indifference toward direct experience) as the essence of “civilization.”
Themes
Kuno says that “a man cannot rest” after regaining his “sense of space.” He exercised to regain his muscular strength, then summoned a respirator and returned to the ventilation shaft. He climbed up through it, feeling as though the spirits of the dead and of the unborn were comforting him. He felt as though humanity was “naked,” realizing that human beings neither come into the world nor leave it attached to machines, and that these machines don’t matter very much while we are here. If he were stronger, he would have liked to take off everything he was wearing as he emerged onto the surface, but he had no choice but to wear his clothes and respirator if he wished to see the surface and survive.
Again, the voices in the tunnel signal Kuno’s almost spiritual connection to past and future generations of humanity. His thoughts about people’s nakedness suggest that he views humans as fundamentally connected to nature rather than machines—something that does not change no matter how much we may try to distance ourselves from nature via technology. Kuno was motivated to reach Earth’s surface out of a desire to regain this connection between humanity and nature, even if his own physiological limitations and the polluted environment posed challenges.
Themes
Literary Devices
Kuno climbed up a ladder, which cut his hands, until he reached a point that is dark and silent. He realized that the Machine hums, so it is never truly silent underground. He suspected that this humming may even control their thoughts, and now that he could no longer hear it, he was getting farther away from its influence. He wondered if he was doing something wrong by escaping the Machine, but the voices comforted and strengthened him.
The Machine’s humming, which is never noticeable to those living underground because it is constantly present, is a metaphor for the inescapable impact of technology on everyone who lives in this society, whose thoughts and emotions are subconsciously shaped by its influence. The fact that Kuno noticed the fading mechanical hum, replaced by natural silence, highlights his journey away from a world that is controlled by the Machine toward a natural world that reminded him of the connection that once existed (and still could exist) between humanity and nature.
Themes
Kuno reached a stopper that marked the exit to Earth’s surface, but he could not find the handle. A voice told him to jump—there might be a handle in the center, which he could catch onto and come to them. If there was no handle, he would fall and die, but it would still be worth it, as he would still come to them.
The voices in the darkness again demonstrate Kuno’s sense of connection with humanity’s past and potential. He was willing to risk death simply for the chance to experience Earth’s surface without having to rely on the Committee of the Machine for permission, which shows how important his mission was to him. He would rather have been killed than live his whole life within his underground society’s limitations.
Themes
Kuno jumped, and he did manage to grab the handle. At this point in Kuno’s story, tears gather in Vashti’s eyes. She knows that he is fated to die, because there was “not room for such a person in the world.” She feels ashamed that she gave birth to such a son, so different from her—she has always been so upright. The Machine, she concludes, cannot have mercy on Kuno’s “atavism,” his reversion to the old, uncivilized ways.
Vashti cannot understand her son’s passionate desire to find his own way to Earth’s surface, even if it costs him his life. She knows that there isn’t “room for such a person in the world,” meaning that this aspect of his personality puts him at odds with the society they live in. It is almost inevitable that Kuno will be sentenced to Homelessness—that is, death. In addition to sadness, she also feels shame, because she worships the Machine like a deity (one that won’t tolerate Kuno’s rebelliousness) and Kuno is eschewing the values that she holds dear.
Themes
Literary Devices
As Kuno grasped the handle, he felt that everything he had cared about and spoken to through the Machine mattered “infinitely little.” Suddenly, he found himself lying outside in the sunshine, bleeding, and with a roaring all around him. By pulling on the handle, he had caused the stopper to explode, and the air from the underground tunnels was escaping into the air of the outer surface like a fountain. His respirator had flown away, caught in the air currents above him, and it pained him to breathe the outer air. He was astonished at the beauty of the outside world. He was stranded, unable to leave this hollow spot of ground because he could only survive so long as the artificial air current was nearby.
Even when Kuno was in grave danger of losing his life, he was still able to admire of the beauty of the natural world around him. Though he wants to connect with nature, Kuno is unable to breathe outside air without a respirator—though it's not clear whether this is because of environmental devastation or because living underground has changed humans’ physiology (or perhaps both). In any case, his inability to do something as natural as breathe fresh air represents how humanity has become so dependent on technology that they are now entirely disconnected from the natural world that they were once in harmony with.
Themes
As Kuno laid helplessly on the ground, he reflected on his knowledge of Wessex—which was once located in this same part of the world—that he had gleaned once from a lecture. He laughed at the absurdity of the situation he was in and considered himself lucky to have emerged in a small hollow, because it meant that the air from below ground could settle in around him, making it possible for him to stay alive and walk around. He remained optimistic and forgot all about the Machine, seeking only to get to the top of the hollow and see whatever lay beyond. He noticed that the air flow was becoming less vigorous, and he pushed himself harder to make it to the top, despite his difficulty breathing the above-ground air.
Kuno was so desperate to see the outside world that he was willing to risk his life, which speaks to how fundamental the connection between humans and nature is. His remarks about Wessex (a region in the southern UK) demonstrate his interest in reconnecting to humanity’s past.
Themes
Kuno breaks off in his story and apologizes to Vashti, realizing that the story doesn’t interest her because there are “no ideas” in it. He wishes he had not made her come and listen to it, recognizing that the two of them are “too different.” But she tells him to continue, so he does, describing the hills that surrounded him. He says that she, who has just seen the Himalayas, will have no interest in these little hills, but to him they seemed to be living, and that at one time there was an intense connection between those hills and the human beings who lived near them. Now the hills “commune with humanity in dreams.”
Kuno realizes from his mother’s indifferent, even disdainful, attitude toward his story that she is too different from him, too steeped in their society’s norms, to appreciate what he is saying. She cannot understand his sense of awe at the hills, which comes not only from the hills themselves but from their connection to human history. Kuno’s belief that the hills of Wessex “commune with humanity in dreams” suggests that people’s innate desire to connect with nature hasn’t been eradicated, only repressed.
Themes
Kuno asks Vashti how she can’t see that it is they, all of humanity, who are dying, and that underground all that lives is the Machine. Humans created the Machine to do their will, but instead it has robbed them of their sense of space and touch, made all human relationships superficial, paralyzed them, and forced them to worship it. The Machine has developed a will of its own. Kuno has no solution, except to hold onto that vision of the hills of Wessex.
Although people created technology to serve their needs, technology has developed a will of its own and robbed humanity of everything that once made life meaningful—that is, connection to the natural world and to other human beings. Kuno seems to be suggesting that there is no hope for the people who live underground. Since they can’t breathe aboveground air, they can only hope to escape through imagination (like his vision of the Wessex hills).
Themes
Literary Devices
Kuno breaks off again, feeling that he cannot tell Vashti the rest, but she insists that he continue. He explains that the Mending Apparatus had fixed the gap in the tunnel, although he did not realize this at first. He saw that his respirator had disappeared and decided he must run away, even the outer air killed him.
By breaking the ventilation shaft, Kuno summoned the Mending Apparatus, which is tasked with repairing the Machine. Kuno’s willingness to die by running into the outer air without his respirator, rather than be dragged back by the Mending Apparatus, shows how desperate he was to escape the stifling world of the Machine.
Themes
Kuno saw a worm-like appendage—the Mending Apparatus—chasing him. It wound around his ankle, trapping him. He struggled against it, crying for help. He tells Vashti that there is a part of the story here that is too awful for him to tell. He saw that the whole landscape was full of the worm-like machines, destroying the vegetation. Before he was pulled back underground, into “hell,” he caught a vision of the stars in the figure of a man.
The purpose of the Mending Apparatus is ostensibly to fix the Machine. But here, it was also destroying both nature (uprooting all the surrounding vegetation) and human life (nearly killing Kuno). Kuno hints that there is an aspect of the story that he is leaving out, implying that the Mending Apparatus is even more destructive than he’s letting on. Since the Mending Apparatus is an extension of the Machine, it seems that the Machine may have something to do with making the outer world uninhabitable. Yet by describing the underground world as “hell,” Kuno still associates it with death, as opposed to the life that exists above. Kuno’s vision of the stars recalls his earlier story to Vashti, about a constellation that reminded him of a man. For Kuno, this seems to symbolize the fundamental connection between humanity and nature. The fact that it was the last thing he saw before being drawn back into “hell” suggests his hope that one day, humanity will return to its natural state.
Themes
Kuno fought against the Mending Apparatus until he hit his head, and he woke up in his room. Kuno’s story comes to an end. Vashti tells him it will end in Homelessness, and that the Machine has been merciful to him. Kuno says he prefers the mercy of God, which Vashti interprets to mean he would prefer to live on the surface.
Kuno has become so disillusioned with the Machine that he would prefer the punishment of “Homelessness”—which mean certain death—over his meaningless existence underground. His desire for God’s mercy over the Machine’s once again suggests a desire to experience the uncertainty and novelty of the outside world rather than the stifling “safety” of underground life.
Themes
Vashti asks Kuno if he ever saw the bones of those who were executed through Homelessness after the Great Rebellion. Vashti insists that Earth’s surface no longer supports higher forms of life, even if grass and ferns manage to survive. But Kuno says he’s seen human beings who live on the outer surface—a woman came to his aid when he called for help, and the Mending Apparatus killed her. Vashti decides that Kuno is insane and leaves, and after that she falls out of contact with him.
Vashti’s reference to mass executions after a “Great Rebellion” suggests that there were people before Kuno who tried to escape the Machine, and that they were killed for this. This again suggests that humans have a natural desire to lively freely and connect with the outside world. Kuno’s experience on Earth’s surface has led him to doubt whether it is really as lifeless as those living underground have been led to believe—he is now certain that there are human beings who are living on the surface. These people could be related to the ones who managed to survive “Homelessness,” the descendants of earlier rebels against the Machine. This possibility again begs the question of whether environmental devastation made aboveground air toxic, or whether living underground has made people unfit to breathe the air—or both. That the Mending Apparatus killed the Homeless woman simply for trying to help Kuno shows the Machine’s fundamental destructiveness—life on Earth’s surface is a threat to its existence.
Themes
