Status Updates From The Complete Stories

A Hunger Artist: A man whose craft of fasting for long periods of time sees a decline in appreciation for his craft. Soon he is signs with the Circus, his last resort at rekindling the past excitement from the public of days past. Weeks past and soon the novelty of his act disappears and the demand for his cage grows. At last we learn he fasts as his life's purpose and at peace a panther is brought into his cage...

So the last defender of the machine perishes with it, the Officer sacrificing his life as if it has no purpose if he cannot convince a foreigner of its usefulness, the machine losing parts as it operates.

Certainly it seems the machine is a metaphor for the machine of system, of government or belief.

The apparent demanding efforts of the Officer to explain the machine to the Explorer is as an attempt to convince him to join in his plan to demonstrate to the New Commandmant that the machine is needed and just.

The Explorer's simple refusal however is enough to completely unravel the composure of the Officer who orders the immediate release of the Condemed man.

The most typical explanation of a machine from a pompous nepo brat in the history of forever. Also the demonstration of such injustice and inhumanity.