The Enormous Radio

The dramatic tension in this story coincides with waves of disruption that greatly impact the Westcott household. Those disruptions begin when the old radio, an important domestic entertainment appliance, breaks down and needs to be replaced. Such disruptions only grow more severe when a new radio is introduced into the family space. First, there is the size and ugliness of the new radio, a visual disruption that has negative ramifications for Irene’s finely curated decorations within the home. This is followed by several auditory disruptions, with each subsequent sound disturbance providing a growing level of disarray to the Westcott home. There is the volume level that jumps up, presumably of the radio’s own accord; this unsettling issue disrupts both wife and husband. There is also the earliest manner in which the radio amplifies surrounding noises, bringing first a “crackling” or “burning powder fuse” (34) sound that interferes with the music on the radio. These interferences become recognizable sounds from other areas in the apartment complex, including elevator noise and the electrical buzzing of household appliances.

The disruption of domesticity grows more severe when the radio’s most extraordinary power is revealed. Once Irene is able to eavesdrop on neighbors, she becomes obsessed with this activity, and this voyeurism creates the greatest disruption yet experienced in her life.