Not only does the department of Hitler Studies allow Jack to parade around campus with an elite sense of superiority, the department of Hitler studies also allows Jack to come face to face with the person who is responsible for the death of over 6 million people. Ironically, instead of regarding Hitler as a subject of historical interest, Jack seems to glamorize him as a worthy icon and creates a department out of his life to justify his interest. Although Jack's image of death changes throughout the novel, Hitler seems to represent an alter ego Jack desires to occupy. By creating the department of Hitler Studies, Jack is able to fuse Hitler, the representation of death, with popular culture, so the two become interchangeable and indistinguishable. In addition to the department of Hitler Studies, the relationship between Jack and his fourth wife Babette seem to exaggerate the fear of death that is suppose to be lingering in the subconscious minds of society. .
Although her fears of death seem to be a little abnormal, Babette embodies the societal norm. Babette is constantly trying to prolong her life by attempting to eat healthier but fails to follow through. During one of the many encounters the family has together in the kitchen, Babette admits that the lunch she prepared was not the lunch that she intended to eat. "I was seriously thinking yogurt and wheat germ. Where have we heard that before? Denise said. Probably right here, Steffie said. She keeps buying that stuff. But she never eats it (Delillo 7)." According to The Theory Toolbox, "Identity, in other words, presupposes a process of recognition, and that recognition takes place among a series of differences, these categories are called cultural categories of recognition within which our specific identities are located and negotiated (Nealon, Giroux 51)." Delillo is seriously critiquing the affects society has on individuals, women in particular.
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...
Don DeLillo's White Noise is a science fiction novel that deals with this phenomenon as it relates to a particular American family. ... 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... White Noise deals largely with the side-effect of the technological age in which the Gladneys live. The characters in White Noise are familiar with death, and are also aware of how death results from many of the products and industries they have accepted. ...
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...
