The  Machine Stops is wonderfully written. While reading this story, I could see some similarities between the lifestyle of the people in the book and our current society. The reliance on machinery is so heavily put forth in the story that it puts things into perspective on how we as a society may slowly be losing touch with one another as people. The story it self, has a scary quality about it. When you read about how Kuno had practiced his muscles to, it only makes you think, how frail are these people at this current point in the story? I imagine after years of living cooped up in the rooms, without having to do much other than pressing buttons, the human being has deteriorated to something that may resemble a sliver of what humanity used to be. Simple day to day activities such as walking from one place to another can greatly influence the general health of a human being, and the people in the story don’t even seem to do that. The story seems to reflect what it would be like if humanity had completely given up it’s rights to free thought and just indulged in the glitz and glamour of technology. Vashti’s love and incredible denial of how the Machine could be wrong, borders on cult like behavior to me. She is incapable of seeing through the veil that has been place in front of her. This to me shows that humanity truly has just bent to the rules and knows no other way to live. I believe the text can be seen as precaution, to allow ourselves the privileges of which machines bring us, but do not allow ourselves to hand over our free will and free thought. We as people should always have a check system, to make sure to continue on wards with human contact to benefit ourselves as a race.

-Rafal Napierala