Chapter XIII Summary: Merrill Fiedler's Cruelty Exposed
Spoiler notice: This chapter depicts explicit manipulation, blackmail, and emotional abuse. Proceed with caution if sensitive to such content.
Summary
Chapter XIII shifts focus from Cliff Iverson to his nemesis, Merrill Fiedler, the Woltan Aviation executive whose power depends on crushing others. Fiedler begins his day by blackmailing Joan Beeson, a woman he previously seduced under coercive circumstances. He shows her photographs taken by a hidden camera inside a globe in his office, then reveals that he has orchestrated her transfer to Lansing, Michigan—far from her sick husband and child. When Joan protests, he threatens to expose the images. Next, Fiedler intimidates engineer Eric Gottschalk, who discovered a design flaw in the W-10 aircraft that Iverson had flagged. Fiedler reveals he knows Gottschalk belonged to a student group on the attorney general’s subversive list, shares a one-bedroom apartment with a non-Caucasian man, and is a “confirmed bachelor.” He forces Gottschalk to drop the flaw report and report coworkers’ disloyalty. The chapter ends with Fiedler summoning a new secretary, Shari, confident that every person in the company will one day be “in bed with him.”
Key Events
- Fiedler greets Joan Beeson in his robe, taunting her about her forced move to Michigan.
- He reveals a hidden Land Camera in the antique globe that captured compromising photographs of her.
- Joan pleads with Fiedler to cancel the transfer, but he coldly dismisses her and nudges her out of the office.
- Fiedler recalls how his previous relationship with Cora ended after she took his blackmail seriously.
- He summons Eric Gottschalk, who wants to report the W-10 design flaw.
- Fiedler discloses his knowledge of Gottschalk’s past: membership in the Pan-Pacific Student Union (labeled subversive), his roommate George Bridwell (a non-Caucasian man), and the implication of homosexuality.
- He forces Gottschalk to suppress the flaw report and become an informant, claiming he hired him precisely because of his vulnerabilities.
- Alone, Fiedler fantasizes about every employee being beholden to him, then calls Janice (the switchboard operator he mistreated) to connect him to Shari Dougan in Accounting.
Character Development
Merrill Fiedler emerges as a predator who weaponizes secrets. He prides himself on fragmenting others’ self-worth and seizing their successes. His words to his employees are calculated: he acts envious of Joan’s promotion while knowing the truth, and he feigns magnanimity with Gottschalk after revealing he purposely hired a blackmail-able man. The chapter shows Fiedler’s obsession with total control—he keeps a bed in his office, sleeps there, and views every sexual or professional relationship as a transaction of power.
Joan Beeson is a tragic figure, trapped by past coercion and now desperate to protect her family. Her plea “I know too much about you” only reminds Fiedler why he must remove her. She is reduced to begging, then silenced by the photographs.
Eric Gottschalk represents the bright young engineer Fiedler fears and exploits. He wants to correct the design flaw because of genuine concern for safety, but Fiedler immediately neuters him by attacking his private life. Gottschalk’s polite, careful demeanor masks his helplessness; he ends the scene thanking Fiedler for a “second chance” that is actually a prison sentence.
Though not present, Cliff Iverson is invoked as a contrast: Gottschalk discovered Iverson’s margin notes in the schematics, and Fiedler lies about Iverson stealing documents to discredit him. This deepens the reader’s understanding of why Iverson felt driven to homicide.
Themes, Symbols, and Motifs
Abuse of power is the dominant theme. Fiedler uses his position to extract compliance—from sexual coercion to political intimidation. The hidden camera inside the antique globe symbolizes surveillance as a tool of control; Fiedler literally makes his office a panopticon.
Blackmail as currency runs throughout the chapter. Each employee is managed through a unique secret: Joan’s photographs, Gottschalk’s sexual orientation and roommate, and the switchboard operator Janice’s birthmark. Fiedler collects vulnerabilities the way others collect money.
The motif of “being in bed with him” moves from literal (the convertible sofa, the robe) to figurative (all employees obligated to him). Fiedler’s bed is both a site of coercion and a symbol of his invasive reach.
Contrast with Iverson heightens the theme of integrity versus corruption. Iverson flagged the design flaw in good faith; Fiedler buries it for profit. The W-10’s cargo hatch flaw becomes a symbol of reckless endangerment.
Why This Chapter Matters
This chapter is essential because it transforms Fiedler from a mere workplace bully into a full-fledged antagonist worthy of homicide. The reader now understands that Iverson’s motive is not just career sabotage but the suffering of innocent people like Joan and Gottschalk. Fiedler’s power is not technical skill—he knows almost nothing about aeronautics—but psychological manipulation. By showing his methods in graphic detail, the chapter justifies the novel’s premise that “murdering your employer” can be an ethical choice. It also sets up the stakes for any future plot: the design flaw may lead to a real disaster, and Iverson’s return—as a homicidalist—now feels inevitable.
Study Questions and Answers
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How does Fiedler select his victims, and what criteria does he use?
He chooses people who have or can be led to have secrets. For women, he uses sexual coercion and photographs. For men, he digs up political or social vulnerabilities (like the Pan-Pacific Student Union or a same-race roommate). He hires them precisely because they are blackmail-able: “I hired you because of what I knew about you.” -
Why does Fiedler suppress Gottschalk’s report about the W-10 design flaw even though it endangers passengers?
Fiedler cares only about Woltan’s immediate profits and his own reputation. Admitting a flaw would delay deliveries and give AirCorp an advantage. He also wants to erase any trace of Iverson’s competence. His rationalization is that “once delivered, if we decide there’s a concern, we can always issue an advisory”—a dangerously casual attitude. -
What does the antique globe with the hidden camera reveal about Fiedler’s character?
It shows his paranoia, strategic ruthlessness, and enjoyment of voyeuristic power. He installed photographic surveillance under the pretense of protecting blueprints, but its real purpose is to blackmail visitors or lovers. The “North Pole” pointing at Joan literalizes his objectifying gaze.