The Enormous Radio

As soon as the new radio is introduced in the story, it is more than just an entertainment appliance. The “large gumwood cabinet” (33) is cast as an “aggressive intruder” with a “malevolent green light” (34) that gives it a demonic or spectral aura. The radio symbolizes truth, and the magical powers it unleashes upends the Westcott home. In broadcasting the neighbors, the radio reveals intimate conversations that are missing in Jim and Irene’s marriage. Although the radio provides Irene with eye-opening experiences, the knowledge she acquires unsettles her. Through those speakers, she also matures, and she comes to understand the levels of suffering that other people are constantly juggling in their lives. In a final revelatory moment, the radio helps Irene move through judgment to a first attempt at self-reflection. By seeing the worst in others, the radio has helped Irene start the necessary process of reflecting inward, on herself and her marriage.

Conversely, when the radio puts a strain on Jim, he projects his negative feelings outward onto Irene instead of reflecting inward. Jim first brought the radio into their home to serve as a companion for his wife whenever she might need entertainment. Jim expected the radio to keep Irene happy.