How Does White Noise Interpret The Fear Of Death

The Inescapability of the Fear of Death Humans are unique because they are conscious of their own ephemeral existence. Don Delillo uses White Noise to interpret the fear of death. Delillo uses the events of Jacks life to illustrate how people use different strategies to escape the reality of death. These strategies range from the drug addiction of his wife, to the zealot who turns to religion to even Jack’s strategy, alternate reality and/or loss of his reality. They use these strategies to distract them from the simple fact, mortality. In order to live, people need to distract themselves from the fear of death, only then can they find meaning with their existence. How does white noise it key in with death? White noise is the
There are various instances of religion that shows un in White Noise. The first scenario in which religion shows up is when Jack is confronted with apocalyptic fanatic. “I wondered about his eerie self-assurance, his freedom from doubt (Delillo, White Noise 137).” This man is a prime example of one who turns towards religion and fanaticism in order to escape the fear. He seems to have succeeded but yet could be pretending. Delillo does not explain which, or even know if this man truly believes what he is preaching. Whether he believes and does this for personal benefit or to help others is questionable. He does however use religion to escape the
On the one hand, everyone seeks to explain the mystery of death, but on the other hand they are also scared of it. Death is a concept that is tied directly into reality. Aristotle asks the question,” What is reality (Kemerling, Aristotle Forms and Souls)?” Reality is a concept that humans have produced to understand the world around them. People are unable to understand death because it eludes the definition of reality. Therefore death is an unable to be explained and thus will cause unknown change (Rummel, Perception of Reality). Humans, in their core, are afraid of change and in extension,