Chapter 16 Summary

Only a few hours out of Midland City, Kilgore rides along in silence and skims through Now It Can Be Told. The novel is written as a lengthy letter from the creator of the universe to the reader. The novel develops the theme that all of existence is a deterministic machine and that free will does not exist - except for the reader. Even the creator of the universe is a pre-programmed machine. But the reader can do whatever the reader desires, spontaneously, for no reason or any reason. The reader's behaviors even mystify the creator of the universe.

Chapter 16 Analysis

Kilgore's novel is once again summarized and noted as the cause for Dwayne's future rampage. Presumably, Dwayne will assume he is the only intelligent being in the universe once he is exposed to Kilgore's novel plot.