The Sound Machine | Roald Dahl

The Sound Machine – By – Roald Dahl

Roald Dahl (1916 – 1990). If there was one writer` who could be described as most experienced writer among his competitors after the second world war. It would definitely be Roald Dahl. He began his currier very far from literature. He took up a job as a young officer in Africa for an oil company. But, the second World War called him to be a fighter pilot for Britain. It was said that Dahl got distinctive recognition for his contribution during the war. So much so, that he even attained place of honour in English society.  
As a child, he was known for his trouble making designs. There wasen’t any positive colour of a writer in him them. But once the war was over, his personal experience in America inspired him to look beyond his Normal life through writings. Injured as he was, he was in America and there he came across some scene of luxurious life. When entire Europe was reeling in pain. Distribution then, he expressed to be a changing or a turning point, in his life. He got very unique a appreciation for his analysis of the state of the world. Thereafter there was no looking back. 

He published a big number of books with separate for adults and children since 1945. In 1983 he was awarded the world fantacy award. For his work of unparalleled imagination in his story. Despite several controversies regarding his understanding of the world of adults and children. He went on to be named as one of the best and greatest British writers in English literature. 

Dahl stories are exceptionally indicative of human world and their fantasies. There are unexpected endings and one would be thrilled with surprising turns of events. Unlike the  other writers his children books are known for their unsentimental horror and dark moods through comedies. They even featured villaneous adults who were considered as the enemies of the children. Books and stories made him a different person all together. But towards the end of his life he also engaged himself in many associations which helped him to understand the pain of the people in different situations like medical and psychological ones. 

“The Sound Machine” in 1949. This story has a very unique theme. Which combines to opposite realities and illusion. It has marked for wonderful display of rare understanding of human life. However just as if found in Normal stories of Dahl, we have a surprise towards the end. The story has nothing to do with the origin of the story. Infact, it is off short of the themes begins discussed. 

The story begins with Mr. Klausner and his experiments. Initially, Dahl spends lot of time in keeping the suspense around his experiments. There are detailed description thoughts regarding Klausner work. But there is no mention of what actually he was busy with. Although this is a beautiful story.

We meet Mr. Klauner in a warm summer evening walking quickly through the front gate of his house and going down the garden to a wooden shell. Quickly suspectiously he unlocks the door, goes inside and closes the door behind him. This is where we would see a very special Mr. Klausner in his own world of fantacy and reality. 

“The interior of the shed was an unpainted room. 

Against one wall, on the left, there was a long wooden workbench,

And on it, among a littering of wires and batteries and small sharp tools, there

Stood a black box about three feet long, the sharp of a child’s coffin.”

Amidst the litering of coins, Mr Klausner is busy with a paper having a diagram. On and off, he keeps watching it and then he puts his fingers about the coins to test the connections in what he was doing. Some time. Sometime he would smile and he would also speak softly to himself. There were some exciting experiences on his face. If one was here to see him one would call him a crazy person busy at his work. 

At this moment of the story, there came visiting Dr. Scott. He open the door and let himself in trying to see where Mr. Klausner was. He came enquiring about the bad thoughts of Mr. Klausner. No sooner had Dr. Scott entered the wooden shed than he himself found the room in a very special tension. Any person would have felt that tension because Mr. Klausner had created some kind of weired atmosphere around his work in that shed. 

“The Doctor began to feel the tension

In the room. He looked at the black box. 

On the bench, then he looked at the man, 

‘saying you have got your hat on.’ ”

Mr. Klausner had become obvious to all things happeneing around him. This is exactly what happens when one becomes engrossed in something. It also signified that the person was apassionate about his work. Besides, this ment great interest shown by Mr. Klausner. Not only was he bat but he was also distracted. On continuous enquiring Mr. Klausner, revealed that radio like things was a machine to catch or measure those sounds which weren’t in the adonsility range of normal human beings.

Listening to these ideas of Mr. Klausner, Dr. Scott was more than surprised or shocked. To him it was too complex to be understood. It seemed a big waste of time. But one cannot be prebented from enjoying one’s idea. Such people are very strange with themselves because they are very strange with themselves because they believe in what they are doing. To them their image is their mind and more important than anything else. Their theories look possible and they are self inspired. They don’t need any one to assist them. Rather, they look full of confidence. Dr. Scott found all these in t he person and behaviour of Mr. Klausner.

It was slowly caring interesting to Dr. Scott because Mr Klausner started speaking about a very unique thing. In that wooden shed it all seemed complicatioons in the form of wires but to dr. Scott it also meant something far and distant from near life as was being noted by him. He said “You made me inquicity,” author Dr. scott wanted to leave the room quickly. He had Mr. Klausner pulling him back with his theory about sound and human wars. Mr. Klausner started explaining the various speeches of sound. There was something very special about his understanding of sounds. For most part in our life we hardly care about sound but Mr. Klausner description seemed as he had been thinking about  this aspect of human world. He mentions dogs and humans and how they are capable of hearing different pitches of sound. Certainly a dog hears something which humans can’t. the response and reaction time to sound around us vary among creatures of the earth Mr. Klausner speaks a very unique idea so far unheard of,

“A vibration … You can’t hear…

And endless successions of notes…

An infinity of notes … there is a note …

Infinity … eternity … beyond stars.”

This speeches from Mr. Klausner looks very animated because he had every thing that he wanted to express about his creativity and inventions. However if were to look at him one would certainly find him nervous, small and frail, always moving his hands. His face was smooth and pale all most while and pair of steel specticles looked unfocused and re-note. Certainly he was a dreamy and distracted personally. Dr. Scott felt this distance with him because his fantasies were far away from where his body was. 

Mr. Klausner went on speaking about his theories and inventions that his sound machine wasen’t any box hardly looking unread but it was designed to catch those High pitch inaudible regions which were an instrument that would prove the existence of many odd inaudible sounds, even thou of we do not know yet.

“Thus are the sounds I want to listen to,

I want to know where they come from and who or what is making them.”

Mr. klausner had it in his mind thought that he could do it on his one. He was very passionate about it and he had perfect imagination on what he was doing. He know how a bat could create thousands vibration per second. He also know how there vibrations could be notes like. 

The sun had gone down. There was no wind no sound at all. Je set the dial of the machine at 15000 – 100000. His head was all busy with the earphones, ring to listen the unknown and unheard sound from the forbidden teritory. There was a women, Mrs. Saunder’s with her flower basket and a pair of scissors. Mr. Klausner shouted a loud requesting her to cut and role. It did sound weird to Mrs. Saunders but she did decide to humour his request. Amidst all this, Mr. Klausner heard some proves that his machine was at work. He heard some frightful smile whenever ever she cut the stem of rose. He looked be wider and asked Mrs. Saunder’s weather he knew what she was doing exactly. 

“Do you know Mrs. Saunder’s 

You have this evening cut a basket full of rose.

 You have with a sharp pair of scissors 

cut thorough the stem know that a rose bush does not feel 

As much pair where someone cut its stem in two.”

Clearly Mr. Klausners was a different person when he was talking to Mrs. Saunders. He wasen’t the one she had known earlier, his questions and his behaviour indicated some craziness. She could not stop any more and ran up to her house. However this experience in the garden in the mind of her. Mr Klausner started stared defining his feelings and responses he had many questions working in his mind. He asked many questions working in his mind He asked himself weather his discovery was a ‘Real pain’ emerging from a rose bush. It was certainly no feeling or emotion as in a humans life. It was a different cry, a neutral a story cry – a single emotion explaining nothing. The question gave him enough ideas regarding his future action. He had been successful with a rose action. He had shouted new experiments with a large tree. 

There was a beech tree in his garden, he placed his sound machine close in his garden. He placed his sound machine close to the trunk of the tree and started hitting the trunk with an axe around 6 in the morning. He insure that there was no one about, he have his ear phones on his head no sooner did he cut deep into the wood he heard a most extra ordinary noise in the earphones. 

“A harsh, note arowling, low pitches. Screwed screeming sound.”

Mr. Klausner had the horror of his life. He could not at all hit the tree again. Dr. Scott to visit him immediately. He was very sure that the sound machine had caught the sound of the tree. It is such an interesting turning point in the story when we find Mr. Klausner lost in his own fantacies. He was completely taken a back by this experiment. He was completely taken. Mr. Klausner didn’t wanted his experiments and experience to go unnoticed. He called up dr. Scott to visit him immediately. He called up Dr. Scott to visit him immediately, He counted someone to hear those agonies. Besides he also needed some to mediate those wounds strange as this sound. Mr. Klausner was even more strange as this sound. Mr. Klauner was even more strange in his behaviour. 

“I want someone to hear it. 

He is driving me made! I can’t believe it …”

Amidst all this, Mr. Klausner had larger reflection. While he waited for dr. Scott the noises of the tree gave him some passion for it. In the meanwhile Dr. Scott arrives and Mr. Klausner made him parts of his rare experiments. He repeated the experiment all one again. Dr. Scott was asked to wear the earphones Mr. Klausner took up the axes and started swinging at the tree. Mr klausner hardly realises that the tree was about to fall, busy as he was in his own fantacies of sounds, Dr. Scott somehow recognised the danger and saved Mr. Klausner and himself when the tree was falling on them. The sound machine was smashed into pieces thou. 

As if there was not enough, Mr. Klausner started enquiring about dr. Scott hearing the sound where the tree was being cut. Dr. Scott wasen’t ready for all those interogations and started to give uncommencing accessories. 

“What did it sound like?...

The Dr. Scott said – I was more interested 

in gearing out of the way lets leave it.”

By now Mr. Klausner have become made about his theories. He could feel all theories sound in his veins. He asked dr. Scott to stich the wound of the tree. He also commanded him to paint the cut with Iodine. Nervous as he was, Dr. Scott did all that, having seen Klausner hands tightening on the handle of the axe. There wasen’t any scope for him.

Towards the end of the story this weired behaviour impresses on us a different prospectus of the story. When the story started, we never feel for a moment that the sound machine would give such reflection of the world and its object. Roald Dahl  was known for such unexpected twist and turns. Seemingly the esperience and theories look real but the accompaning themes and even more interesting and thought provoking that the plants do have life and that human being must develop connection with them. All thou it sounds very fantastic but it does have deeper meaning for evening human race and his surroundings.