Chapter 12 Summary

One afternoon walking out of town, Shimoda is in no mood to discuss the metaphysics of whether he can walk through walls, and Richard is annoyed about never receiving straight answers. When Shimoda says it helps if he is precise in his thinking, Richard restates the question: How can he move the illusion of a limited sense of identity in space-time (i.e., his body) through the illusion of material restriction (i.e., a wall)? Shimoda is pleased and believes this should answer itself. Shimoda reminds him how easy things once appeared hard (like walking as an infant), and reverses the proposition: Can Richard walk through walls? Frustrated, Richard says it is impossible for him, until Shimoda reminds him of swimming in the earth, walls being just vertical earth. Richard believes it is getting through to him, so Shimoda turns sharply and vanishes...