Identity theft

Type :

Book review

Pages :

4 pages

Format :

.doc

Published date :

07/29/2009

Category :

Philosophy & literature

Sub category :

Literature

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Summary :

Introduction
Jack's determination to learn German
Jack's lessons with Howard Dunlop
German-speaking skills
Jack's optimism
Jack's identity
Conclusion

Abstract

Don DeLillo's main character, Professor Jack Gladney, candidly remarks to his class "all plots move deathward," and the plot of White Noise proves no exception. In the novel, Don DeLillo establishes a contemporary society where two kinds of people exist-killers and diers-or more concretely, the active and the passive. All of the characters sit around discussing intelligent topics, all educated, highly analytical, and painfully self-aware. However, they also share the common bond of permitting life to happen around them, subduing themselves with mere conversation and contemplation; in essence, no one seems to be a killer. Jack, aware and increasingly upset by this passivity, devotes his life to superior expertise in Hitler Studies as a means to alleviate his general compliance. However, he sees his inability to speak German as an ultimate inadequacy, the one barrier that prevents him from completing his powerful persona as his biggest fear is dying without leaving behind a magnificent legacy. Unfortunately, taking German lessons to escape his "dier" status proves a temporary distraction, failing to garner any lasting fulfillment. In fact, he even goes to lengths to sabotage his image, whether intentionally or not. He may endeavor to be a killer, active in seeking a more dominant image, but to be a killer means he would have to abandon who he actually is to assume the character of someone he is not. As a result, in Jack's desperate trials to control his fate, he becomes the killer of his own identity.