Many contemporary Americans medicate themselves emotionally by treating themselves with the new technologies that are available and the extremes of consumerism in an attempt to fill an emptiness that, ironically, is largely brought about by the medicine itself. This observable fact brings about a thorough failure on the part of the patient to face many of the severe realities of life, death in particular. Don DeLillo's White Noise is a science fiction novel that deals with this phenomenon as it relates to a particular American family. DeLillo dwells largely on the effects that this instant satisfaction, aided by technology and excessive consumption, has on contemporary Americans. .
There are various scenes throughout the novel White Noise in which Don DeLillo makes it obvious that the characters are "feeding off of" consumerism and technology. " In the sense of replenishment we felt, the sense of well being, the security and contentment that these products brought to some snug home in our souls- it seemed we had achieved a fullness of being that is not known to people who need less, expect less" (DeLillo 20). The characters in the novel seek these things because it is what they have been brought up to seek. It appears to the reader as if any empty space is filled up by a product or a line from the TV. .
America's capitalist economy is driven by this feeling among its citizens. Murray, a smart professor and close friend of Jack's, comments on how he sees the supermarket, "That is what I think of every time I come in here [supermarket]. This place recharges us spiritually, it prepares us, it's a gateway or a pathway" (DeLillo 37). The supermarket is one of the many symbols in this novel that represents a very well-known factor in understanding this new consumer-driven Blacksmith society. .
Technology and consumerism are all around us, and humans are aware of the side-effect and the result that they have on their lives.
The failure of technology in this regard is the general subject of Don Delillo's book White Noise. ... In one sense, I think this is what White Noise is. ... They are white noise generators intended to put us to sleep. ... White Noise is a book obsessed with death at the hands of our own technology. ... This same white noise is, ironically, also responsible for the random occurrences which act to disrupt itself. ...
Garfinkel kept his word about how this class would operate, that is until our final book White Noise. ... Many of the references in White Noise is so outdated, it just falls short on making an impression on the younger generations of our time. ... However, the concerns of the characters and the themes within White Noise are unquestionably contemporary. ... Because death is a constant in our world, the aspect of death within White Noise makes it contemporary and relevant to everyone. ... Being that it was written in 1985, Don DeLillo's novel White Noise was something way ahead of its time...
Driven by the fear of death, Don Delillo's White Noise strategically attempts to uncover the underlining notion of death relating to all aspects of popular culture. ... In order to understand the relationship between culture and death as it is symbolically portrayed in White Noise, one must thoroughly examine the character roles of Jack and Babette Gladney and their representation of real life fears and concerns... One of the working complexities within White Noise is Jack and Babette's fear of dying first. ... There is a distinct parallel between Delillo's White Noise and popu...
White's, "Once More To the Lake", the author describes his struggle to come to terms with aging and to stop living in the familiarity of the past. ... Many of the symbols in White's essay deal with the past, future, or life in general. ... Yet, he goes on to contrast this with the description of present motors that made an unfamiliar nervous noise that was irritable. ... White clearly paints a picture, through his symbols, of his longing to return to the past. Throughout his story White's ideas are effectively related through his use of diction and symbolism. ...
White's, "Once More To the Lake", the author describes his struggle to come to terms with aging and to stop living in the familiarity of the past. ... Many of the symbols in White's essay deal with the past, future, or life in general. ... Yet, he goes on to contrast this with the description of present motors that made an unfamiliar nervous noise that was irritable. ... White clearly paints a picture, through his symbols, of his longing to return to the past. Throughout his story White's ideas are effectively related through his use of diction and symbolism. ...
On this planet, it is a woeful reality that every living organism must die sooner or later. What places humans apart is our awareness of the inevitable demise. Death is something dreadful. No one knows when it could happen or how to gain control of it. When it comes, it takes away one's life. Th...
