The Machine Stops

Certain nouns are capitalized in the story, such as the Machine, the Central Committee, and the Book. This denotes singularity. There may have been infinite machines throughout history, but there is only one all-powerful Machine. Similarly, the Book, a vestige from the days of physical tomes, is central to the way people understand and process their lives. Serving as a mode of instruction, the Book parallels the holy books from any religion. Other religious holy books teach followers how to live through parables and lists of laws. The Book has simplified this, reducing proper life choices to a set of instructions about which buttons to push to achieve which effects. In essence, it is a user manual for the Machine, but since the Machine has become all-encompassing, it is also a user manual for life.

When Vashti kisses the Book’s spine, it is reminiscent of the Jewish practice of kissing one’s fingers and touching the Torah as it is paraded by. This reverence contradicts the claims that following the Machine is different from following religion, particularly because people utter prayers and praises. When the Machine begins to break down, the Central Committee becomes particularly invested in fostering this sense of religion because faith is necessary to prevent rebellion.