Let the Great World Spin

by

Colum McCann

Teachers and parents! Our Teacher Edition on Let the Great World Spin makes teaching easy.

Sam Peters (“The Kid”) Character Analysis

An eighteen year-old computer hacker who works for a small company in California that builds file-sharing programs and that is also contracted by the United States Pentagon to perform various hacks. In order to settle a bet about whether or not the tightrope walker will fall, the group hacks telephone lines so that they can make calls to payphones within a close radius to the Towers and ask pedestrians to tell them what is happening. The Kid is quiet and shy and merely listens as the rest of the group talks to the people in New York. Eventually, though, he breaks his silence to speak to a woman on the other end of the payphone named Sable, to whom he finds himself attracted.
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Sam Peters (“The Kid”) Character Timeline in Let the Great World Spin

The timeline below shows where the character Sam Peters (“The Kid”) appears in Let the Great World Spin. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Book Two, Chapter 6: Etherwest
Unity & Human Connection Theme Icon
Simultaneity & Time Theme Icon
Doubt & Faith Theme Icon
...in California, where four computer programmers are hacking the public telephone network in New York. Sam Peters , otherwise known as “The Kid,” explains that Compton—another programmer—got a message on the ARPANET... (full context)
Unity & Human Connection Theme Icon
Simultaneity & Time Theme Icon
Doubt & Faith Theme Icon
...call the New York payphones again. Each of them tries to find an open line. The Kid is the first to get one, and a woman’s voice answers. She proves much better... (full context)
Unity & Human Connection Theme Icon
Simultaneity & Time Theme Icon
Doubt & Faith Theme Icon
The Kid , who is known for almost never speaking, is intrigued by this woman and begins... (full context)
Unity & Human Connection Theme Icon
Doubt & Faith Theme Icon
Before she hangs up, The Kid asks if Sable is married. She laughs, tells him she has to go, and hangs... (full context)