The quest for reality through facing death in DeLillo’s White Noise
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.18485/analiff.2022.34.2.10Keywords:
death, Jack Gladney, real, identity, simulation, the postmodern condition, ModernismAbstract
The aim of this research is the analysis of the spiritual quest of Jack Gladney, the protagonist of White Noise (1985). This article adopts the position that Jack Gladney embodies a character whose motivation is modernist, whereas the condition of the world he inhabits is undeniably postmodern. The fictional world of White Noise is the world of signs and simulations. In such a world identity is decentred and the world is devoid of meaning. Jack, who is obsessed with the fear of death, gradually comes to the realization that it is actually death which may be the only remaining authentic experience in contemporary culture. He learns that the fear of death numbs and anesthetizes him. The novel implies that death is a mysterious phenomenon that cannot be reduced to its simulations. Jack eventually undergoes real, authentic experience at the moment where he is on the brink of death, on the fine border between life and death. This experience, which cannot be simulated, grants his life significance. He finally sees life in a different light and is determined to enjoy its small joys and explore its vast possibilities.
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