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.
Symbols & Motifs
Hefty Mart
Hefty Mart represents corporate dominance in the near future. It has a monopoly on the entire retail market and is one of the primary sources of economic activity in Flynne’s world. One might imagine Amazon joining forces with Walmart and then multiplying their business exponentially–this is analogous to what Hefty Mart is in the novel. Since Hefty Mart has such dominance in the legal economy, knock-off operations are one way for people to make their own money. Flynne works for one such manufacturer of “fabbed” products. With this, Hefty Mart symbolizes the corporatized world common to cyberpunk fiction.
Significantly, in the world of the distant future, Hefty Mart is not mentioned, and none of the characters are aware of what it is. This ties into two of the book’s themes: Objective Reality versus Artificially Constructed Reality and Environmental Degradation and its Effects on Life. Regarding reality, there is a sense for those in the present that reality is concrete and immutable, a concept cast into doubt by future London working with agents in the past to change the course of history. In truth, even objective reality is constantly changing, affected by actions big and small. While Hefty Mart’s power is absolute in Flynne’s time and no one can imagine an alternate world, it doesn’t exist in the future. With this, Gibson implies that even the most powerful institutions can fail.
Likewise, Hefty Mart likely fails due to environmental collapse. Megacorporations that rely on consumption likewise rely on the exploitation of labor and resources. In a world where 80% of the population dies due to environmental degradation, such large-scale production and consumption can no longer exist. Just as natural life could not withstand climate change, neither could companies like Hefty Mart.
Cybernetic Implants
Another common trope in cyberpunk fiction, many of the characters in the novel have cybernetic implants either permanently implanted or have accessories they can use temporarily that augment their capabilities. The techs Macon and Edward use a device known as a viz, which are contact lenses that function like smart glasses. Macon and Edward also develop a device that Flynne uses to transport to the future virtually. While there, Flynne occupies a human-like figure known as a peripheral. Connor, who is an amputee in his present, is given the ability to walk, jump, run, and do flips while he occupies his peripheral. The novel has many other examples of cybernetic implants, especially in sections describing the future.
Cybernetic implants underline Gibson’s central questions about organic reality vs. artificially constructed reality. In a future where cybernetic implants can create a reality indistinguishable from organic reality, the lines between real and unreal are increasingly blurred. Gibson emphasizes that reality is rooted in perception rather than facts, especially since facts can change in The Peripheral thanks to time travel altering timelines. Rather than getting caught up in what is real and what is not, Gibson implies that there is value in the emotional resonance granted by cybernetic implants.
The Drug Trade and Corruption
Aside from Hefty Mart, the other primary engine on which the Clanton economy runs is the synthetic drug trade. This creates enormous wealth that is centralized and transferred to one man’s empire, Corbell Pickett. Clanton is so dependent on the drug trade that its government agencies and officials become subjugated to Pickett. Law enforcement is compromised, as are mayors and governors. Corruption is everywhere, and knowing this truth allows Burton the means to work within it. He uses money received from Coldiron to pay off officials and help keep things quiet when necessary.
As is the case with Hefty Mart, there is not the same level of drug use in the future. People have different ways of escaping, though alcohol still exists. This again calls into question the permanence of any power. By the end of the novel, Burton has received so many payments from Coldiron that Corbell Pickett isn’t even the richest man in his own present. Gibson’s meditations on power call to mind science fiction writer Ursula Le Guin’s 2014 National Book Award speech, in which she said, “We live in capitalism, its power seems inescapable–but then, so did the divine right of kings. Any human power can be resisted and changed by human beings” (“Ursula K Le Guin's speech at National Book Awards: ‘Books aren't just commodities’”). While certain forces make life more precarious for The Peripheral’s characters, Gibson asserts that they can all be overcome, although other problems like increased state surveillance may rise in their wake.
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