7.8 Essay #4 Rough Draft Literature & Language Essay

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7.8 Essay #4 Rough Draft
In the postmodern novel “White Noise” DeLillo portrays a society where there is mass consumerism reliance on technology and the fear of death. In the small University City, there is a toxic cloud, of a poisonous gas and the toxic even forces the characters to question their perceptions about death. The chemical cloud is a result of human activities and the people use technology, but is unable to control the outcomes. The characters have fear of death, yet death is natural and inevitable, while artificial technologies have increased danger and risks of death. The supermarket market fills a void in the people’s life who are used to mass consumerism and bombarded by too much information from television including advertising and market. The television mediates people’s experiences in the high-technology society where there is mass consumerism and fear of death.
The supermarket is a symbol of mass consumerism in American culture, and shopping fills a void the people’s lives. The market supersedes traditions and the characters meet at the supermarket as commercial transactions and consumerism take center stage. Jack tells Murray at the supermarket that he believed that it was a place that recharges people spiritually (DeLillo 22). The market, shopping, consumption and money reflect mass consumerism in the society and Jack feels blessed having the automated teller machine (ATM) in his life. In the last chapter, the shoppers feel betrayed and confused when the shelves are rearranged (Weekes 299). This signifies that despite many fond of shopping there is confusion in their lives just like in the final scene.
Television is another symbol in the novel, and Jack the main character consumes the news media too much, and the media informs his views and perceptions. The TV influences the consumer culture including the never-ending focus on disasters and advertising. Murray believes that television as a form of entertainment helps explain one of America’s cultural phenomena, but viewers need to evaluate whether there are hidden messages. Murray pointed out that the television was for those who neither looked nor listened (DeLillo 28). In the hyper-simulated atmosphere, the TV rituals bring the families together, but there is little interaction and their understanding of the world around them is mediated by the electronic media. There is too much television, but the people focus on the mundane and rather than getting to understand what is shown. There is constant flow of information that the viewers’ prefer watching catastrophes on television as this is what gets their attention.
Reliance on technology and media mediates the people’s desires, and many fail to understand the negative impact of technology on the people and the environment. There have been technological changes since 1985 since the book was published and in the world of White Noise, there are computers, the murmurs of television, sirens, radio broadcasts, ultrasonic and electronic waves. Furthermore, there are dangers brought about by technology including the airborne toxic gas, and yet Jack is fixated on natural catastrophes and ignores the dangers associated ...