Scientific Advancements and Forbidden Knowledge
By posing a simple hypothesis, Roald Dahl’s 1949 short story “The Sound Machine” effectively reminds the reader why the genre is called speculative fiction. The prospect of being able to hear higher and lower pitches may not immediately strike one as particularly important. But the horrific discovery that Klausner makes in the story—that plants and trees cry out in pain when cut or axed—has a dark and insidious undercurrent, raising the question of if he…
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Denial and Rationalization
The presence of a healthy amount of skepticism is often considered integral to a scientist’s success in their field, but what happens when that guarded empirical nature is put up against a discovery that shakes them to their core? Dahl explores this question through the ways in which both Klausner and the Doctor react to the machine’s capabilities, examining their similar attempts to rationalize and dismiss the sounds they hear. In doing so, he…
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Passion vs. Madness
While the image of an individual hard at work on something they care very deeply about is not necessarily meant to invoke feelings of unease, the way Klausner’s intense preoccupation with his machine and its abilities changes throughout the story carries with it a much more insidious nature. By following his character as he embarks on this fraught journey of discovery, Dahl showcases how extreme passion and unbridled curiosity, when left unchecked, can all…
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