"E.M. Foresters, The Machine Stops"

   As I began reading E. M. Foresters’ “The Machine Stops,” the first similarity towards our world that I noticed was the way in which the people communicated with one another.  Although cell phones do no project images of one another to each user,  they do allow for instance communication.  Also, other than cell phones, using a webcam on a computer would be an exact replica of the way in which Vashti and the others communicate.   As I already said, this is different from our would because the most common form of communication is the cellular phone which produces no image, and although the webcam produces an image, the imaged produced in Foresters short story was blurry and only showed the necessary visualizations the people needed to identify each other.  This difference shows that even though our world has become similarly as advanced as the world in “The Machine Stops,” we still kept our humanity and our love of specific things in nature, while Vashti and the others, excluding Kuno, lost their sense of individualism and humanity as a result of the Machine. 

            The second similarity between Foresters’ world and our own was the Airship.  As he was describing it, I felt as if he was describing a modern day airliner.  Even down to the flight attendant, the similarity was shocking.  The idea that someone could describe something one hundred years before it was developed is awe-inspiring.  Vashti notices that some of the rooms were better than others, which is a direct relationship between first class and economy class.  One difference between this “Airship” and our Boeing jetliners, although very small, is the fact that Vashti and the other passengers had their own rooms to themselves, where as on a normal jetliner, everyone was grouped into one or two different rooms. 

            One part of Foresters world that is very different from our own is the style of each human.  Vashti is described as a “lump of flesh,” “as white as a fungus,” which completely goes against the style of the world today being fit, in shape, and tan.  Although many people are lazy and like to be able to exert little energy to accomplish a goal, some people today find excuses to get out and exercise.  This way they stay fit and tan their skin at the same time.  Vashti and the people associated with her shy away from exercise and even the sun.  Everyone owns a mechanical armchair that moves him or her from place to place.  Also they are completely blocked from the sun, having their living apartments being underground, being almost scared to have to suns rays touch their skin.  On the “Airship,” Vashti’s blinds come undone and a beam of sunlight almost touches her skin sending her into a blind fit of horror.  “Vashti served away form the sunbeams with a cry, she behaved barbarically.”