White Noise
by Don DeLillo (1985)
2023 reads, 7/12:
Death, consumerism, and academic elitism, all set against the backdrop of a hyperreal 1980s America, comprise this satirical novel revolving around Jack Gladney and his stepfamily. Much like We Have Always Lived in the Castle|89724, I actually watched the White Noise movie first on Netflix, without knowing anything prior; this made me want to read the source material to further understand the main themes and anything else the movie might have missed (although I feel the need to say that Greta Gerwig absolutely nailed the role of Babette).
Part I of the book, “Waves and Radiation,” sets in place the many themes throughout. We meet Murray, a new professor at the college where Jack teaches. Through the process of trying to solidify his own “Elvis Studies” program, we quickly descend into a satire of academia. The multitude of superficial pop-culture departments at this college (Hitler studies, Elvis studies, cinematic car crash seminars, to name a few), and the way the professors talk to one another is extremely exaggerated and elitist, albeit entertaining. These scenes were done very well in the movie as well.
"‘We're all brilliant. Isn't that the understanding around here? You call me brilliant, I call you brilliant. It's a form of communal ego.’"
Reading “Part II: The Airborne Toxic Event,” it’s hard to not be reminded of the 2023 Ohio train derailment or any other man-made disasters we learn about in school. The book portrays the negatives of this growth of technology and mass media in the 1980s, leading to a hysteria and borderline obsession over these types of disasters.
The events in Part II lead right into Part III, 'Dylarama,' and it's here that leads to many interpretations as to what the titular “white noise” is. Of course, it could refer to the constant background noise (both visual and audible) of advertisements, mass media, and the metaphorical rubbernecking of man-made disasters. Or even “Mr. Grey,” one who Jack sees in “extraneous flashes,” one whose body “flares with random distortion.” But I think that Jack’s (and Babette’s) fear of death is the white noise – it’s always around them, further exacerbated by everything previously mentioned; Hitler, Elvis, the airborne toxic event, Mr. Gray, and even the advertisements trying to sell you a better life.
"‘How do you plan to spend your resurrection?’ he said, as though asking about a long weekend coming up. ‘We all get one?’"
Also, how awesome are these movie posters?
