Philippe’s Connections

Throughout Let The Great World Spin, Philippe almost seems elevated above all of the other characters of the story. They physically look up to see him on the wire and, aside from the brief section in the middle that recounts his preparation for the walk, the reader does not know much about his backstory and the characters don’t know anything about him. Man on Wire undeniably gives more insight into Philippe as a person and the passion he had for all of his projects that ultimately led to this walk across the Twin Towers. What I found the most interesting though was the way that Petit formed connections with others. It seemed that the people that knew him really knew him, and if anyone else happened to come in contact with him they were impacted in some way, like the policeman that he had pickpocketed after he was apprehended after a wire walk. Everyone else looks up to him in a way in which he appears unreal. He also represents a global link to the world – he is French, but prior to walking across the World Trade Center he did walks in both France and Australia. His closest friends and people that helped him organize his walks were also people from around the world, which helps him to maintain this global connection and relevance.