The Machine Stops

Abstract

In E.M. Forster's "The Machine Stops," humanity lives underground in isolated rooms, reliant on an all-powerful Machine that meets every need. Vashti, content with this life, rejects her son Kuno’s warnings that the Machine is failing and society is in danger. As the Machine breaks down, people realize too late that their disconnection from the natural world has led to their downfall, leaving only surface-dwellers to rebuild.