59 pages • 1 hour read
William GibsonThe Peripheral
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2014A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Chapters 31-45Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 31 Summary: “Funny”
Flynne visits Shaylene, Macon, and Edward. Edward and Macon discuss the complexities of the instructions they have been given and indicate that they are not counterfeiting the device they have been tasked with making, which Edward identifies as “hands-free interface hardware” (130). Macon adds that it allows the user to “operate things by thinking about it” (130). Edward says that the files they were sent reveal that something like this has never been built before.
Chapter 32 Summary: “Tipstaff”
Netherton is visited by a man who turns out to be a peripheral for Rainey. They go to a bar called Maenad’s Crush, hoping to find some privacy away from the constant surveillance. Rainey, through her peripheral, informs Netherton that he is suspected of killing Aelita. She then suggests that Daedra may be framing him out of revenge for cutting off their sexual relationship. Out of nowhere, Lowbeer appears and discusses some of what she knows about the case, verifying that there is indeed a campaign afoot to frame Netherton for Aelita’s murder. As Lowbeer is about to escort Netherton out of the bar, she removes her tipstaff, which then morphs into a gun. She fires the gun, but the sound of it comes from a different area. Then, screaming is heard.
Chapter 33 Summary: “Stupidity Tax”
Flynne and Leon are at Jimmy’s discussing his recent lottery winnings. The narrator reveals that Flynne thinks Connor likely killed the four men. A car arrives to bring them to see Burton at Connor’s place.
Chapter 34 Summary: “Headless”
The narrator mentions what Netherton saw at the Maenad’s Crush: a man whose head exploded. Lowbeer informs him that this was not a man but a peripheral who had been specifically rented for the purpose of killing him. Lowbeer explains how the peripheral was made for the mission and that it was implanted with an explosive inside its head. When she called in flashbots to provide protection, these triggered the explosion. She mentions that the use of explosives is unusual, which makes determining the responsible party difficult. When asked how she knew that the peripheral would be at the bar, she attributes it to algorithms, or what she refers to as “Aunties.”
Chapter 35 Summary: “The Stuff in his Yard”
At Connor’s, Flynne and Leon notice that Macon and Edward are there. They are fashioning something for Connor’s Tarantula and playing coy as to what it is supposed to be for. While there, Macon mentions to Flynne that they need a scan of her head for the device they are printing.
Connor and Burton are inside. Connor is acting totally normal. Burton mentions that Coldiron has devised another payment method in addition to providing Leon with the winning lottery ticket. This one involves a lawyer from a town called Clanton dropping off a load of cash. Burton also provides more specifics on what Macon has been working on. Flynne is unhappy with Burton, but she goes along and allows Macon and Edward to make a mold of her head for the interface.
Chapter 36 Summary: “In Spite of Everything”
Lev and Netherton are watching the peripheral run on a treadmill. As they are speaking, Lev tells Netherton that assassins showed up in the stub and were executed by Connor before they could kill Burton. He also reveals that the assassination was snuffed out as though it had been expected. Lev says that the payoff (mentioned by Burton in the previous chapter) was made by Ossian through a drug manufacturer, who presumably took a cut.
Chapter 37 Summary: “County”
Flynne visits Janice and informs her of all that has been going on. Janice then reveals the latest payoff came from a lawyer named Beatty. Janice and Flynne discuss Corbell Pickett, who at one time owned the last Tesla car dealership. He is also a sort of drug kingpin and tends to be the source of any and all corruption in the county. Janice informs Flynne that Burton has given some of the payoff money to Pickett as a bribe to make the execution of the four men go away. Janice then discusses how corrupt the county truly is, all because of drug money. Essentially, the county’s economy is almost entirely built on the drug trade.
Chapter 38 Summary: “Stub Girl”
Netherton, Lev, Ash, and Ossian make preparations for Flynne’s visit in the peripheral. Netherton is clearly uneasy about the whole idea of peripherals and discusses the last time he used one when he was 10. Netherton also seems concerned for Flynne’s well-being and wants to make sure she knows truthfully what she is there for and that she is welcomed properly.
Chapter 39 Summary: “The Fairy Shoemakers”
Macon and Edward have exceeded their estimated time for finishing the project. When Flynne asks about the device, Macon describes it and refers to it as a “Telepresent interface” (165). They bring Flynne home and prepare to put the device on her. She is informed that she is not allowed to eat because what she is about to experience may make her vomit from nausea. As preparations are made, Flynne pays a quick visit to Burton and finds out for certain that he has been paying off Pickett so that the whole affair with Connor can be covered up. Macon interrupts the conversation to get Flynne as they are ready to hook her up to the device.
Chapter 40 Summary: “Bullshit Artist”
Netherton and Ash talk about the various ways the peripheral was prepared for Flynne. Netherton maintains that it does not look like her. Netherton wants to be present when Flynne arrives because he feels responsible for her being in the situation she is in.
Chapter 41 Summary: “Zero”
After final preparations, Flynne is ready to don the device and see where it takes her. She is told to close her eyes and count to 15, and when she gets to 15, she opens her eyes in the future, though she is unsure if that is where she really is. She is first greeted by Ash, and Flynne is disoriented by the intensity of her sensory perception, specifically in seeing colors. Eventually, she acclimates and is greeted by Netherton, whose amazement at the whole thing is apparent.
Chapter 42 Summary: “Body Language”
Flynne is increasingly becoming used to controlling the peripheral, especially the facial movements, a fact that makes Netherton feel even more ill at ease. As the trio chats, it is apparent that there are gaps in their vocabularies that Ash has to translate. Flynne asks to go outside and take a look around. Ash informs Flynne of the purpose of her visit as the eyewitness to Aelita’s murder.
Chapter 43 Summary: “‘Sploding”
Flynne returns to her present and immediately begins eating. She tells Janice some of what she experienced, including that the Coldiron people insist that it is not a game she is participating in.
Chapter 44 Summary: “Perversely Difficult”
Ash and Netherton discuss Flynne, and Ash realizes that Flynne is strong-willed and likely will not just do whatever she is told. They begin arguing before Lev cuts them off.
Chapter 45 Summary: “Up There”
Flynne mentions to Janice that when she returns to her peripheral, she is going to request that they set up another for her to bring with her. Burton shows up, and Flynne tells him what she experienced. Burton tells her that Coldiron has a lot of money, and they came through with it as asked.
Chapters 31-45 Analysis
The two parallel plots begin to converge prior to this section, and in Chapter 41, they merge when Flynne occupies her peripheral. Netherton does not like peripherals because they make him uneasy. When Flynne first sees Netherton, she notes that he looks as though he has “seen a ghost” (177). After composing himself somewhat, he says aloud, “it’s fine” and is then unsure if he said it to Flynne or himself (179). The reason for Netherton’s dislike of peripherals is gradually revealed in subsequent chapters; however, much of how Netherton processes the mechanical artifice of his environment shows him being uncomfortable. He does not like the world he lives in. He certainly does not like the idea of hiring people from the past to perform security detail in his present.
Netherton is considered something of a clueless dunce by Ash and Ossian, and this could be because they each sense his contempt for the entire project that Lev participates in. Instinctively, Netherton understands that by going back in time, they inevitably alter the course of Flynne’s and her compatriots’ stubs. In the novel, a stub is a fork of time that goes off in a different direction from the one Lev has gone. In other words, time is split and does not operate in a linear fashion in which all things are interconnected. Netherton further explains to Flynne that, “when we made contact, we set your world, your universe, whatever it is[…]on a different course” (181). Interfering with the past by passing on data and information will alter the past, then, but not the present that Netherton and the others are currently in.
Netherton is not a willing participant in any of this, and when he meets Flynne, he sees beyond her usefulness in helping identify Aelita’s killer. He recognizes her humanity, something that Ash and Ossian tend to overlook. They see her more as a collection of data points that can be teletransported rather than an organic human being. Netherton also feels obligated to tell Flynne the truth about why she is there, and what “there” really is. At first, Flynne is not convinced that what she experiences is not a game. It is Netherton who insists to Lowbeer that Flynne should be told the truth of her circumstances. As a publicist, Netherton is supposedly good at manipulating people. However, Ash points out that he has “never been able to see it” (188). Ash means this as an insult, implying that Netherton is no good at his work. However, it also exposes a key insight into Netherton’s hidden character. That he is not good at manipulating people demonstrates that he sees people as people instead of things.
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By William Gibson
