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Homelessness
The Mending Apparatus is the Machine’s mechanism for repairing itself. It first appears in the story as a system of wormlike appendages that attack Kuno after he escapes by breaking out of one of the underground ventilation shafts. The Mending Apparatus traps Kuno and nearly kills him by hitting his head as it pulls him back underground, as well as destroying all vegetation in sight and killing a “Homeless” person who tries to help Kuno. This suggests that the Mending Apparatus is designed to eliminate any threat to the Machine, even when that means killing living things. The Mending Apparatus later proves to be a vulnerable part of the Machine—a part that, if damaged, will bring the whole system crashing down. No one really understands how to fix the Machine because the system has become so complex, and the Mending Apparatus has always been able to fix anything that breaks. But when the Mending Apparatus itself breaks, it causes a cascade of other defects that no one knows how to fix, leading to the Machine’s deterioration and eventual collapse.
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The Mending Apparatus Term Timeline in The Machine Stops
The timeline below shows where the term The Mending Apparatus appears in The Machine Stops. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Part 2: The Mending Apparatus
...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....
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Kuno saw a worm-like appendage—the Mending Apparatus —chasing him. It wound around his ankle, trapping him. He struggled against it, crying for...
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Kuno fought against the Mending Apparatus until he hit his head, and he woke up in his room. Kuno’s story comes...
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...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...
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Part 3: The Homeless
...the music—Vashti’s symphonies have recently been disfigured by interfering sounds, and the Committee of the Mending Apparatus has assured her it will be fixed soon. The defects in the music, combined with...
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The Committee of the Mending Apparatus admits that the Mending Apparatus is itself in need of repair. The lecturer from earlier...
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