Continuation to The Machine Stops
This post is a continutation of the ending of The Machine Stops by E.M. Forster, which we read in class. The premise is that Kuno doesn't die after the airship hits the compound, and wakes up some time later.
-----
Kuno awoke to a burning light coming from the hole left by the airship. He was alive, but barely. Several hours must have passed since he was last awake. Blood seeping through his garments, he hoisted himself up and began to stumble around through the remains of the hive. He walked past the lifeless body of Vashti. He wept for the death of his mother, but was thankful she could spend her last minutes with him. Guided by the sunlight from above, Kuno continued to meander among the catacombs.
The Machine, which had dictated so much of his life, was no more. As Kuno realized his newfound autonomy, a familiar emotion overcame him, as it had when he had first escaped to the surface. But while it had previously been a trickle--a momentary glee derived from the transcendence of authority--it came in waves now, as the chains that had restricted his mind and body for so long had been shattered. The intellectual limitations imposed upon not only him, but the entire human race, were no more. A red light was emitted from one of the fissures opened up by the impact of the airship. Curious, Kuno stumbled inside, and limped to its source.
Upon entering the room, Kuno was overwhelmed by the rows of bookcases that lay before him. Perhaps some of the early mechanics of the Machine had decided to keep a personal collection in a closed-off room. He reached towards the closest one, and clutched it with the little strength he had remaining. He had never felt the leathery exterior of a physical text before, and yearned to leaf through its pages. Kuno felt his leg buckle, and he fell to the ground. Obstinately, he propped his back up against a wall. The cover of the book read The Tempest. What luck! He was fairly well-versed in Shakespeare, having listened in on several lectures about the Bard. It had been some time, though, and the lectures had never offered any excerpts from the source, only quoting plot summaries and previous literary analyses. Eagerly, he flipped open the cover, and began to consume the ideals of an era past.
Nearly at the end of the play, several hours later, Kuno felt his head begin to hang. He whipped his eyes back up to focus on the blood-stained page. Prospero's magic had done its duty, and he was preparing to renounce his witchcraft. Kuno read on:
But this rough magic
I here abjure, and when I have required
Some heavenly music, which even now I do,
To work mine end upon their senses that
This airy charm is for, I’ll break my staff,
Bury it certain fathoms in the earth,
And, deeper than did ever plummet sound,
I’ll drown my book.
Kuno smiled. Just like the humans who had built the Machine, Prospero had dedicated himself to learning an art that could help him accomplish his ideals. But unlike Kuno's ancestors, Prospero had the wisdom to limit his ambition. Kuno fell to the side, still clutching The Tempest as he drew his last breath.
Several days later, the surface-dwelling Homeless descended upon the ruins. The leader of the scouting party, a hunter, followed the blood trail that lead into a library. Cautiously approaching the lifeless body near the entrance, the hunter observed the hundreds of texts that surrounded him. The boy's eyes still lay on the words from the final page he read. The hunter uttered a prayer, closed the cadaver's eyes, and went to report to his people.
-----
My main goal with this extension was to elaborate on one of my favorite motifs from the story The Machine Stops--that of the revitalization of Western civilization through the character of Kuno. At several points in the story, Kuno exhibits the free-thinking spirit embodied by intellectual historical figures like Voltaire. I probably noticed this theme since I started reading The Western Canon by Harold Bloom over winter break, which discusses the themes of the Western literary tradition.
I chose Shakespeare as the author that Kuno uses because Bloom considers him to be the central author of the canon. Every author since Shakespeare has been trying to match the revolutionary characters and themes introduced by him. I specifically chose The Tempest because Prospero is a royal castaway who uses magic to regain his rightful place as Duke of Milan (I think that's his position?). Similarly, humans have used technology to further themselves. But while Prospero casts his magic away when he realizes that it's more of a curse than a blessing, humans kept on building the Machine, which ruined their civilization.
The part at the end with the hunter is a call-back to his observation of constellations when he was able to view the stars. In the story, I think he specifically noticed Orion. The constellations are a construct created by (or at least most associated with) Ancient Greeks, who were pretty much the originators of Western culture. So I decided to give that a shout-out.
-----
Kuno awoke to a burning light coming from the hole left by the airship. He was alive, but barely. Several hours must have passed since he was last awake. Blood seeping through his garments, he hoisted himself up and began to stumble around through the remains of the hive. He walked past the lifeless body of Vashti. He wept for the death of his mother, but was thankful she could spend her last minutes with him. Guided by the sunlight from above, Kuno continued to meander among the catacombs.
The Machine, which had dictated so much of his life, was no more. As Kuno realized his newfound autonomy, a familiar emotion overcame him, as it had when he had first escaped to the surface. But while it had previously been a trickle--a momentary glee derived from the transcendence of authority--it came in waves now, as the chains that had restricted his mind and body for so long had been shattered. The intellectual limitations imposed upon not only him, but the entire human race, were no more. A red light was emitted from one of the fissures opened up by the impact of the airship. Curious, Kuno stumbled inside, and limped to its source.
Upon entering the room, Kuno was overwhelmed by the rows of bookcases that lay before him. Perhaps some of the early mechanics of the Machine had decided to keep a personal collection in a closed-off room. He reached towards the closest one, and clutched it with the little strength he had remaining. He had never felt the leathery exterior of a physical text before, and yearned to leaf through its pages. Kuno felt his leg buckle, and he fell to the ground. Obstinately, he propped his back up against a wall. The cover of the book read The Tempest. What luck! He was fairly well-versed in Shakespeare, having listened in on several lectures about the Bard. It had been some time, though, and the lectures had never offered any excerpts from the source, only quoting plot summaries and previous literary analyses. Eagerly, he flipped open the cover, and began to consume the ideals of an era past.
Nearly at the end of the play, several hours later, Kuno felt his head begin to hang. He whipped his eyes back up to focus on the blood-stained page. Prospero's magic had done its duty, and he was preparing to renounce his witchcraft. Kuno read on:
But this rough magic
I here abjure, and when I have required
Some heavenly music, which even now I do,
To work mine end upon their senses that
This airy charm is for, I’ll break my staff,
Bury it certain fathoms in the earth,
And, deeper than did ever plummet sound,
I’ll drown my book.
Kuno smiled. Just like the humans who had built the Machine, Prospero had dedicated himself to learning an art that could help him accomplish his ideals. But unlike Kuno's ancestors, Prospero had the wisdom to limit his ambition. Kuno fell to the side, still clutching The Tempest as he drew his last breath.
Several days later, the surface-dwelling Homeless descended upon the ruins. The leader of the scouting party, a hunter, followed the blood trail that lead into a library. Cautiously approaching the lifeless body near the entrance, the hunter observed the hundreds of texts that surrounded him. The boy's eyes still lay on the words from the final page he read. The hunter uttered a prayer, closed the cadaver's eyes, and went to report to his people.
-----
My main goal with this extension was to elaborate on one of my favorite motifs from the story The Machine Stops--that of the revitalization of Western civilization through the character of Kuno. At several points in the story, Kuno exhibits the free-thinking spirit embodied by intellectual historical figures like Voltaire. I probably noticed this theme since I started reading The Western Canon by Harold Bloom over winter break, which discusses the themes of the Western literary tradition.
I chose Shakespeare as the author that Kuno uses because Bloom considers him to be the central author of the canon. Every author since Shakespeare has been trying to match the revolutionary characters and themes introduced by him. I specifically chose The Tempest because Prospero is a royal castaway who uses magic to regain his rightful place as Duke of Milan (I think that's his position?). Similarly, humans have used technology to further themselves. But while Prospero casts his magic away when he realizes that it's more of a curse than a blessing, humans kept on building the Machine, which ruined their civilization.
The part at the end with the hunter is a call-back to his observation of constellations when he was able to view the stars. In the story, I think he specifically noticed Orion. The constellations are a construct created by (or at least most associated with) Ancient Greeks, who were pretty much the originators of Western culture. So I decided to give that a shout-out.
Great job with this alternate ending! Your style really mimicked that of Forster's; I felt as if I was actually reading an excerpt from the story. I like the small references to Western cultures (such as Orion and Shakespeare) and believe that they're very fitting to mention. My favorite part, however, is how Kuno died. When I first read "The Machine Stops," I was slightly disappointed that Kuno didn't get to experience something more than his first escape to the surface; I had hoped that he would survive and join the surface-dwellers in the effort to continue the human race. While your ending doesn't actually do that, I believe that it does Kuno some justice; he gets to read a play by one of the most influential writers of Western culture, while realizing that he was right about the Machine being a "curse" on society. It was nice how he died smiling, finally finding peace in this dystopian world.
ReplyDeleteThis continuation of "The machine stops" was very enjoyable for me to read. Specifically, I liked the structure of your writing and description added to the plot. One thing I didn't fully understand was why keep Kuno alive just long enough to read the Tempest? I know you described the significance of the book and hunter but what contribution to western literature themes does Kuno's death hold? Overall, I enjoyed your post and your story writing is excellent in my opinion.
ReplyDeleteYour alternate ending was really interesting to read! It's funny how people learned about literature via lectures during the age of the Machine, but never applied them to their lives. In our English classes, we're always looking for ways to connect themes within books with our own lives, yet, the characters in the story never looked beyond the basics of their lectures. Because of this, I thought it was interesting how your ending contained Kuno, not just learning, but understanding the meaning behind such passages.
ReplyDeleteBefore reading this, I actually read Caylee's blog post which was also an alternate ending to The Machine Stops so it was super interesting to see how these differed. I really enjoyed how you included creative details like Kuno reading The Tempest in particular. In addition, I was kind of surprised because even though Kuno initially survives in your alternate ending, you still choose to kill him off which is a plot twist I actually kind of enjoyed --- I thought this would be a typical story of the free-thinking character surviving and starting a new race of humans/new beginning but I was pleasantly surprised. Your alternate ending still has that sense of hope though because of the Hunter at the end but it serves as a cautionary tale to emphasize the importance of limiting reliance on both technology or things of power in general. It was really interesting to see the parallel between Prospero's powers and the machine but seeing how one made sure that their powers did not overcome their individuality which in my opinion, emphasizes the message that Forster tried to convey.
ReplyDeleteI like how you intertwined the Tempest into your alternate ending of the story (memories from Sophomore English). Drawing parallels between Prospero and the original mechanics of the machine was an eye-opening experience for me. I never realized the extent of human greed and how it could be depicted in this story. I especially liked the detail where you mentioned that while Kuno knew about Shakespeare from lectures, he had never read a direct source on it. Everything was through the interpretation of another person in this new impersonal world.
ReplyDeleteI really liked this ending of "The Machine Stops. It was enjoyable and easy to read, and your writing style in this post was very similar to Forster's. I like all of the descriptions and details you added, like the "blood-stained page" or how Kuno is well-read in Shakespeare. I also like how he died peacefully. He struggled throughout the story but finally found peace in the end, even though that is death, it's still a somewhat happy ending.
ReplyDeleteI thought your alternate ending was really interesting. Like other people have said, your language really matched that of Forster's which made this ending seem more plausible and like it could actually be a part of the story. I think that Kuno's introduction and reactions to the things of the "old world" are really well written. In addition, I liked how you wrote about Kuno's emotions regarding his mother's passing - although he's sad, he feels a sense of closure and optimism. This alternate ending was really engaging and easy to read - I really enjoyed it!
ReplyDeleteOverall, I agree with everyone else who has commented before me - this is a really good, well thought-out alternate ending. I like this continuation/alternate ending and your style of writing. I’m a little biased but I really do appreciate the use of Shakespeare, especially since you had actual, understandable reasoning behind it so it wasn’t just a random shout-out. You’ve definitely succeeded in your goal of elaborating on that theme of Kuno personifying the revitalization of Western civilization.
ReplyDeleteI think this ending is quite compelling, as it brings even further satisfaction than the original. It shows the reversion to society's past that was hinted at by Kuno in the original story. It was quite surprising that Kuno died, and I don't know if that was necessary, its only use I see would be to completely kill off the machine's influence, and to restart from the Homeless.
ReplyDeleteI thoroughly enjoyed this post. I especially enjoyed how you excellently wove The Tempest into your alternate ending. I would like to offer another ending where he reads the ending where Miranda proclaims “How many godly creatures are there here! How beauteous mankind is! O, brave new world that has such people in’t”. After reading this he enters the wilderness to forge a new civilization for himself and future generations. This is simply an idea, one which would change the note from sad with mild hope (which was a modification of a pure sad ending) to one that would conclude the narrative with a feeling of exclusively hope. Excellent work! Looking forward to reading more!
ReplyDeleteI am now reading your alternative ending to The Machine Stops and it is wonderful. The style of writing seems exactly like that of Forster. The difference between your ending and the original is that I believe that your conclusion is more satisfying in the minds of a reader like myself. I found that all of your intricate details had thorough meaning in context and added to the complication of your ending. You did a great job of using Kuno as a way of showing a revitalization of the West and its civilization.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I absolutely LOVE this alternate ending, I think the most satisfying part is keeping Kuno alive. He remained persistent against The Machine despite the highest levels of adverse influence and was the trailblazer supposed to inspire future generations to retake their rightful places as true human inhabitants of Earth's surface. Also, tying The Tempest into your story was utterly brilliant -- Shakespeare's literature is one of the few timeless human art forms that will never be forgotten, even in a machine age, and you did a great job of emphasizing that.
ReplyDelete