Short story Sound Machine

Synopsis-

Klausner is a crious person who want to know what goes around him. His curiousity
cause him to invent thing and carry out experiments to learn about the mysteries
that surround him. He is particularly interested in the different type of sounds,
tones and vibrations. He invent a sound machine to help detect both low-pitched
and high pitched sound that are inaudible to the human ear. He take out his
invention to the garden to test it He alaso takes out his invasion to the park to
to further test it. Klausner want his doctor, who is skeptical of his invention
to know that it is possible to use his machine to hear sounds that cannot be heard
by the human ear. He gets the doctor to go to with him to the park. But things do
not turns outs as he wishes. His own action causes the sound machine to be smashed
to pieces and the doctor gets to see the darker side of his patient, who is also
his friend

Summary -
Klausner works on his invention
Klausner goes into a shed in the garden at the back of the
house. In the shed there is a black box which is three feet
long. It is in the shape of a child’s coffin. The box is on
the wooden bench, with wires, batteries and small tools that
are sharp.
Klausner works on the box. There is a mass of wires which are
of different colours and silver tubes. He takes the paper
beside the box and examines it carefully and works on the box,
moving his fingers among the wires. He tests the connection of
the wires and refers to the paper on and off. He does this and
checks each of the wires. This goes on for about an hour.
Klausner twiddles the three dials on the front of the box
while noticing the movement of the mechanism that is inside
the black box. He speaks to himself softly as he continues to
work with his fingers moving inside the box. He is in deep
concentration which shows the urgency of him wanting to finish
whatever he is doing.
His doctor visits him
As he is working, the door opens and Scott, who is his doctor,
walks in. He wants to check on Klausner’s throat but Klausner
says that his throat is fine. But the doctor wants to check
his patient’s throat anyway. Klausner resists by telling him
that his throat is quite cured.
The doctor notices that Klausner has his hat on and the black
box. He is curious about the box and asks Klausner whether he
is making a radio. The doctor remarks that the inner parts of
the box are intricate. The doctor says that the invention is a
frightening thing to him.
Klausner is evasive. He explains that the box has to do with
sound. He goes on telling that he likes sound. The doctor
becomes even curious and wants to know what the inside of the
box does.
Klausner explains about his invention
Klausner has difficult in explaining in the beginning. Then he
explains that the theory is very simple. The human ear is not
able to hear all the sounds, especially sounds that have high
pitch and low pitch. The human ear is unable to hear a note
with more than fifteen thousand vibrations a second. He
explains further that a dog is able to hear the sound of a
high-pitched whistle while humans are unable to.
Klausner tells the doctor that the higher the notes get, it
becomes difficult for human to hear them. The succession of
the notes can multiply to the point of infinity or eternity.
Klausner believes that there is a whole world of sound that
the human ear cannot hear. This world of sound is within the
human’s hearing capacity and provides various possibilities.
Klausner thinks that the sounds that the human ear cannot
detect may be the creation of a new exciting music which is
indeed powerful.
The doctor is skeptical
The doctor is still not convinced that it is possible to hear
all the sounds. He remains skeptical. Klausner gives an
example of a fly on a roll of copper wire which is on the
workbench. The fly may be producing sounds that the human hear
cannot detect. The sound may be of a whistle, a bark, a croak,
or the fly is simply singing a song. The fly has a mouth and a
throat. It is not impossible for it to produce sounds.
The doctor smiles and asks Klausner if he is going to find out
about it. But, Klausner does not stop in trying to convince
the doctor. He goes on sharing his experience. Klausner says
that he has made an instrument that is simple to find out if
there are sounds that are not heard by the human ear. He has
detected many peculiar sounds using the instrument, which he
has not been able to hear before. He is curious to know where
the sounds come from and what creatures are producing them.
The doctor asks Klausner whether the machine on the table is
able to help detect the sounds. Klausner replies that the
machine probably would. He is going to try the machine again,
as he has not been lucky so far. He has made some changes to
the machine so that it is able to detect sound vibrations that
are too high-pitched for the human ear. It is able to
transform the high-pitched notes to sounds that are able to be
detected by the human ear. It functions like a radio when it
is tuned.
The doctor is still unclear on the function of the machine.
Klausner explains that by adjusting the machine to a certain
frequency, the squeaking of a bat at about thousand vibrations
a second can be heard. It is possible to hear the sound with
the sound machine and distinguish what note it is. The doctor
looks at the strange box and asks Klausner if he is going to
try it at night. Klausner says he would try it at night and
the doctor wishes him good luck. The doctor looks at his watch
and says he has to leave. He thanks his patient for letting
him know about his invention. He says he would want to know
the outcome of Klausner’s invention.
Klausner tries out his invention
Klausner continues to work on his invention and wishes to try
the machine. He takes the sound machine out into the garden
and puts it on a small wooden table. He fixes the earphones to
connect them to the machine. He is uncertain the machine would
work and has to console and encourage himself.
He sees a woman walking down the garden and she is carrying a
flower-basket. Klausner adjusts the knob of the sound machine.
When he moves the knob the needle moves across the dial. He is
able to hear a low sharp sound at irregular intervals in his
earphones. Besides the low sharp sound he hears the humming of
the sound machine. Klausner feels a strange feeling that his
ears are away from his head, and each of his ears is connected
to his head by a thin wire. He feels the wire acts like a
tentacle.
Klausner hears something
Klausner suddenly hears a piercing shriek which is
frightening. He looks around to see if the person who has
shrieked is around. He only sees the woman in the next door
garden. He feels that is definitely not her who has shrieked.
The woman is cutting yellow roses which she places in the
basket. He hears the sound again. The sound is not made by
human. The shriek is not only sharp and short, but it is also
very clear and cold. Klausner is curious and searches where
the shriek comes from. The only person in the place is Mrs.
Saunders, his neighbour. He notices her snipping the stem of a
rose using a pair of scissors. He hears the shriek again. The
sound is heard the exact time the stem is cut.
Klausner observes what happens
Klausner calls out for Mrs. Saunders in a shrilling voice
which shows his excitement. His voice is not only high but
also loud that she is shocked. He asks her to cut another
stem. Mrs. Saunders is reluctant at first but gives in by
snipping the stem of another rose.
Klausner asks her to cut the stem of the flower again so that
he is able to hear the frightening shriek. He asks her not to
cut any more of the stems of the flowers. He tells her that
her action of cutting the stems of the rose flowers cause the
flowers to scream terribly. He knows that Mrs. Saunders is not
going to believe him. He asks Mrs. Saunders if she knows the
flowers scream and she replies that she does not.
Klausner tries to convince her that the flowers scream at a
very high pitch. He tells her that he hears them scream when
she cuts the stems of the flowers. He questions her if she
knows that the flowers go through as much pain as a person’s
wrist is cut with a garden shears. Mrs. Saunders runs back
into the house.
Klausner learn more through his experiment
Klausner tries to learn more from the incident. He gets a
small white daisy and pulls it both upward and sideways. His
action causes the stem to snap. He hears a soft high-pitched
shriek. He repeats the action with another daisy. The same
thing happens and he knows it is a shriek. But he is not sure
if the shriek is an expression of emotion. It appears just
like a cry which is neutral, and is without emotion. Klausner
is still puzzled.
It is getting dark. Klausner takes the box from the table,
keeps it in the shed and goes into the house.
Klausner goes to the park to try out his invention
In the morning, he takes out the box from the shed and heads
to the park. He looks around and spots a beech tree. He places
the box next to the tree trunk and goes back to get an axe. He
swings the axe at with all his might at the tree trunk aiming
at its base. It is a strong blow and as it lands on the tree
trunk, he hears a peculiar sound. It is different from the
sound he has heard previously.
Klausner contacts the doctor
Klausner feels sorry to see the cut on the tree trunk which he
has caused. He tries to close the cut. He returns home
hurriedly and contacts his doctor, Scott. He requests
persistently for the doctor to come. While he waits for the
doctor many ideas come across his mind about what would happen
to crops, vegetables and fruit trees if they are cut. Klausner
is very confused.
Klausner wants the doctor to hear the sound
The doctor appears and Klausner takes him immediately to the
park to hear the sound. They reach the beech tree where
Klausner has left the sound machine. The doctor asks Klausner
why he has brought the machine to the park and Klausner
replies that he needs a tree and there are no big trees in his
garden. The doctor wants to know why Klausner has brought an
axe to the park. Klausner says that the doctor would know soon
the purpose of him bringing the axe to the park.
Klausner does it again
He asks the doctor to put on the earphones, which the doctor
willingly does. Klausner gets ready to strike the tree with
the axe and lands a second blow. He feels the ground move
beneath his feet as if the roots of the tree move beneath the
ground, where he is standing. The doctor and Klausner see what
is happening above them in the tree. The doctor shouts to
Klausner to run quickly. The doctor has removed the earphones
and runs fast to escape from the falling branch.
The sound machine is smashed
Klausner stands motionless and just stares at the falling
branch. But he escapes in the nick of time. The branch falls
on the machine and smashes it into bits. The doctor exclaims
in relief that Klausner is safe. It has been a close one and
it almost causes Klausner his life.
Klausner wants to know what the doctor hears
But Klausner is not bothered about it. He is more interested
to know if the doctor hears anything when he lands a blow on
the trunk of the tree with the axe. The doctor replies that he
hears nothing and that he is not sure of what he has heard. He
thinks that it is perhaps the sound of the branch giving way.
Klausner gets impatient and continuously asks the doctor to
describe the sound. The doctor is not pleased with Klausner
asking him what he has heard over and over. He tells Klausner
that they better leave the place.
Klausner shows his ugly side
Klausner asks the doctor to stitch the gash he has caused to
the tree with the axe. He is holding the axe in his hand. The
doctor feels threatened. But he tells Klausner he cannot
stitch through wood. Klausner tells him to apply iodine
instead. The doctor feels it is unreasonable to apply iodine
on the cut on the tree trunk. But he has to give in as
Klausner is tightening his grip on the axe. He agrees to paint
the cut with iodine. Klausner observes the doctor doing it
still holding on to the axe.
Klausner makes more demands
Klausner tells the doctor to apply iodine to the other cut on
the tree. The doctor does as he is told. Klausner steps near
the tree to get a closer look at the two wounds on it. He
wants the doctor to come again the next day and have a look at
the two wounds on the tree. He also wants him to apply more
iodine. The doctor agrees to come back the next day and apply
iodine if there is a need for it.
Klausner and the doctor return
Klausner feels happy and drops the axe to the ground. The
doctor approaches him, holds his arm gently and says that they
better leave. They walk back to the house.

Theme-

Obsession
The theme of obsession is highlighted in the story. The theme
of obsession relates to one’s inner desire to do sometime at
all expense, or without thinking about others’ well-being.
Klausner shows that his obsession to invent the sound machine,
test it and prove that it is able to detect sounds, tones and
vibrations has no limits. He is so obsessed to try out and
make the machine work.

Irrationality
The theme of irrationality is also present in the story.
Klausner actions and behaviours relate to doing things without
thinking logically. There are a number of incidents that show
irrational behaviours in the story. Klausner behaves very
irrationally when he gets excited and also because of his
obsession. He overreacts when he is facing a particular
situation. Irrationality clouds judgment as is presented in
the story through the actions of the characters.

Creativity
The story relates to the theme of creativity. Creativity is
the ability to bring into existence something that is
non-existent. Klausner invents a sound machine based on his
own creativity. He has a very imaginative mind, and is also
very observant. Creativity does not come out of thin air, but
through hard work as Klausner proves, through his experiments
and observations. Klausner is able to be very creative because
of his obsession too.

Being Judgmental
In the story, the two characters are judgmental of Klausner.
The theme of making judgments is evident. Judgments are made
based on Klausner’s physical appearance, his behaviours,
emotions, reactions and perceptions of the world. Mrs.
Saunders thinks Klausner is peculiar and has become crazy. She
is afraid of him. Similarly, the doctor also forms judgments
about Klausner and thinks that Klausner is silly and even to
the extent of being crazy.

Nature
The theme also deals with nature especially to take care of
nature. Klausner cuts the tree trunk at two places and he
wants the doctor to either stitch the wound or apply iodine.
The moral issue is to protect nature. Klausner tells his
neighbour not to snip any more stems of the flowers. He does
not want to hear the shrieks of the flowers anymore. It is
frightening and it is also a painful experience. Klausner’s
actions show that he loves nature as shown through his
thoughts on what would happen to plants, vegetation and trees
when they are cut.

setting-
The story "The Sound Machine" involves a few places such as a
house, a wooden shed, Klausner’s garden, his neighbour’s
garden and the surrounding areas, especially a park. The
setting provides information on the time the events take
place. The story takes place in a warm summer evening, at
night and in the morning (6 a.m.) in a residential area.
The setting tells us about the people in the story based on
their socio-cultural or economic activities or what they do in
their everyday life.
Klausner is curious, imaginative and creative. He likes to
carry out experiments to learn more about the world around
him. He is an inventor who works in the wooden shed all by
himself. Mrs. Saunders is Klausner’s neighbour; she has a lot
of flowering plants in her garden. Klausner is a doctor and
treats Klausner. He is a professional with medical background
and is very assertive. He makes house-calls, as and when the
needs arise.

character -

Klausner
- authoritative, assertive
- emotional/sensitive
- impractical
- loves nature
- responsible, harmless
- irrational /obsessed/confused/nervous/undecided/crazy/mad
- insistent/ persistent/demanding
- determined/focused
- selfish, self-centred
- inquisitive /imaginative / intelligent/intuitive
/curious/observant
-funny, acts childish in a way
-gets very excited, hysterical

Scott
- realistic /practical /rational
- responsible
- fearful /uncertain/worried
- tactful
- assertive ( needs proof or evidence to accept something)
- not easily convinced (does not accept anything easily)
- determined
- feels insecure, helpless (Klausner is holding an axe in the
hand)
- sensitive
- cooperative
- compassionate

Mrs. Saunders
- cooperative
- focused
- sporting
- carefree
- calm
- not easily convinced

Moral value - Moral Values
Moral values are important. The story teaches us some moral
values.

1. It is important to appreciate the gift of life
The story teaches us to appreciate the gift of life. The gift
of life is divine. As humans we have a moral obligation to
protect life and to take care of it. Klausner loves nature and
wants to learn more about the sounds plants make. He carries
out a few experiments and learns that plant or nature is also
valuable just like life. Plants and trees too undergo pain and
let out a scream when they are hurt or cut. Klausner wants the
doctor to attend to the tree which he has cut with the axe. He
orders the doctor to stitch the wound or apply iodine. The
plants and trees are treated valuably. The story teaches us to
appreciate the gift of life.

2. It is important not to be too obsessed in life
The story teaches to be realistic in life and not to be too
obsessed in life. Klausner gets carried away because of his
obsession and behaves very irrationally. He shows his weakness
of letting his emotions control him. This can be seen when he
overreacts and frightens his neighbour. He also behaves very
irrationally when he demands the doctor to listen to what he
says. He threatens the doctor through his actions. We learn
that obsession is able to cause the downfall of a person.
Klausner is too obsessed with what he does that he does
realise that he has caused the branch of the tree to fall. It
nearly causes him his life, but the sound machine is
destroyed.

3. It is important to be practical and act rationally
The story teaches us to be practical and learn to solve
problems carefully. There is a need for us to be realistic in
life. It is important for a person to be able to handle
situations even under trying conditions. This is the reality
of living in a society. In the story, there is a valuable
lesson; it is important to be practical and act rationally at
all times. There is a need for us to find solutions to
problems by thinking rationally and practically.

4. It is good to be creative and have a vision in life
The story teaches us to be creative and be far-sighted in
life. It is good to be creative and innovative, especially if
one’s invention can be useful to mankind. Being creative also
requires a person to be responsible and act rationally.
Similarly, it is important to have a vision in life to be able
to contribute for the betterment of the individual, society
and nation. We can become a good and useful citizen who is
selfless and well-respected by all.