The sound machine book. The Sound Machine Summary & Analysis 2022-11-16
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"The Sound Machine" is a short story written by Roald Dahl, first published in 1949. The story is about a man named Klausner who becomes obsessed with sounds and invents a machine that can amplify and record them.
The story begins with Klausner revealing his invention to a friend, who is initially skeptical but eventually becomes convinced of its capabilities. Klausner is thrilled by the success of his machine and becomes increasingly obsessed with using it to listen to a wide variety of sounds. He becomes fixated on the sounds of plants and spends hours listening to them through his machine.
As Klausner becomes more and more obsessed with his machine, he begins to neglect other aspects of his life. He ignores his wife and ignores the needs of his plants, which begin to die as a result. Klausner's obsession with the machine ultimately leads to his downfall, as he is unable to hear a bee flying towards him and is stung to death.
One of the main themes of "The Sound Machine" is the danger of obsession. Klausner's obsession with his machine consumes him and ultimately leads to his death. The story serves as a cautionary tale about the dangers of becoming too fixated on a single pursuit and ignoring the needs of others.
Another theme of the story is the power of sound. The machine is able to amplify and record sounds in a way that allows Klausner to experience them in a new and heightened way. However, this also serves as a reminder that sound can be both a blessing and a curse, as it can bring joy and wonder, but also be a source of danger and destruction.
Overall, "The Sound Machine" is a thought-provoking story that highlights the dangers of obsession and the power of sound. It is a compelling read that will leave a lasting impression on its readers.
The Sound Machine Summary & Analysis
The doctor smiles and asks if Klausner is going to check on that with his machine. The sun had gone down. Klausner bent down and flicked the switch on the panel of the machine;then he picked up the axe and took his stance with his legs apart, ready toswing. Suddenly he hears a loud shriek, causing him to jump. Klausner, excited, calls to the woman next door, Mrs. I cannot say enough about this book.
He asks the doctor whether he heard anything when the ax struck. When Klausner insists the doctor paint the cut with iodine, the doctor tries to convince him otherwise, but then looks at the ax in Klausner's hand and does as he is told. Klausner returns to the machine and tests his hypothesis by picking another flower. The police have never been able to find her. His film work includes: The King's Speech, Gosford Park, The Madness of King George and Vera Drake. His dedication nevertheless remains intact, as displayed by the lack of attention he pays to his neighbor even as he watches her, his primary focus being the machine itself.
He continued to write short fiction for adults as well, often featuring an extension of the dark and macabre elements of his work for children. At first, all he hears through the earphones connected to the contraption is a humming noise, but soon he perceives a shriek each time his neighbor cuts the stem of a rose in her garden. His head was cocked toone side in a tense, listening attitude. When Klausner asks if he heard the tree cry out, the Doctor turns nervous and shifty. He tunes the machine in, almost like a radio.
The citation above will include either 2 or 3 dates. It was a warm summer evening and Klausner walked quickly through the front gate and around the side of the house and into the garden at the back. This book is really quite amazing. These delightfully disturbing tales have often been filmed and were most recently the inspiration for the West End play, Roald Dahl's Twisted Tales by Jeremy Dyson. Often I have satand watched the needle of my instrument recording the presence of soundvibra tions in the air when I myself could hear nothing.
It was only Scott, the doctor. His voice wasbarely aud ible. And as she begins to silently piece together her memories, the full story of the past begins to reveal itself - and a devastating truth. His face was smooth and pale, almost white, and the pale grey eyes that blinked and peered from behind a pair of steel spectacles were bewildered, unfocussed, remote. The human ear, he says, is incapable of hearing noises that are too low or too high in pitch. Heplugged the wire connections from the earphones into the machine and putthe earphones over his ears. It was six in themorning.
I tune it in, almost like a radio. Saunders might feel if someone cut through her wrist with garden shears. He was shifting from one foot to the other, tugging at the lobe of his ear,looking at his feet, and then at last, slowly, he said. The next morning, Klausner returns to the shed and carries the machine outside again. You know you can buy a whistle whose note is so high-pitched that youcan't hear it at all. The doctor moves closer and asks if Klausner is making a radio. The doctor suggests it is a rather frightening-looking thing.
Scott is surprised, as it is only half past six in the morning, but Klausner insists that the doctor come. We cannot hear, but it is entirely possible, Klausner says, that the fly is making an incredible noise in the higher pitches. Saunders questioning his mental state. He stood there in the garden beside the wooden table, so pale, small, and thin that he looked like an ancient, consumptive, bespectacled child. He began his writing career with stories catered towards adults but shifted to writing fiction for children after having kids of his own and being inspired by the way they reacted to the stories he told them. His fascination with acoustics and yearning to test a theory become an obsession.
H e placed the box carefully on a small wooden table that stood on thelawn. Suddenly he heard footsteps on the grav el path outside and hestraightened and turn ed swiftly as the door open ed an d a tall man cam e in. He likely channeled some of his exploits in this field when he penned the screenplay for the 1967 James Bond film, You Only Live Twice, having served alongside Bond creator Ian Fleming. Please cut another one quickly! A very high-pitched sound, approximately one hundred and thirty-two thousand vibrations a second. This final depiction of Klausner, crazed and wild with an axe in hand, leaves readers to question if his machine even worked in the first place, or if it was merely a delusion. A potato would surely shriek; sowould a carrot and an onion and a cabbage. Excited, Klausner calls to Mrs.
He also begins to feel a sensation as if his ears are stretching away from his head. The Sound MachineThen he looked around him again, peering nervously through his thickglasses in every direction. But Toni believes her daughter is alive. Probably thenoise of the branchbreaking. I want to know where they come from and whoor what is making them. He twiddles dials and speaks softly to himself. But a dog can hear it.
Denial and Rationalization Theme in The Sound Machine
The doctor asks if the machine will enable him to hear such sounds. The interior of the shed was an unpainted room. None that one can hear. Klausner hears footsteps on the gravel path and turns swiftly to the door to see a tall man enter the shed. Suddenly realizing how much time has passed, the Doctor departs.
