Theme Of Media And Consumerism In White Noise Don Delillo

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In White Noise Don DeLillo’s characters show a reflection of people living in the age of overwhelming media and television. All the characters in the book are products of this environment around them, but they are products in very different ways. Their actions and how they deal with things in their world show the audience a reflection of themselves in one way or another. Through these characters we can see how this era of media and consumerism affects the view of death and the natural world. The media and consumerism go hand in hand. We, and the characters in the book consume media, they are not separate. When the characters sit and watch TV, they are doing the same thing as when they go to the supermarket. Hundreds of channels to …show more content…

The Gladney 's are entertained, and making decisions is easier. It is a great suburban life this family has made for themselves. Watching these things day after day, other things seep into their minds.They need value attached to everything. They cannot come up with their own idea of value, it has to be agreed upon by the masses. They see their deaths as meaningless, since they will not be televised or written about in history books, because their lives have no tangible value. They have effectively let the media influence their view of themselves and their …show more content…

He is acutely aware of the media surrounding him. He studies it, takes notes, and looks at the effect it has on people. He does not avoid it, but he also does not let it control him. Near the beginning of White Noise he goes to the most photographed barn in the world. He marvels at the effect the barn has on people, and is amazed by the supermarket and its colors. Though he does not take a picture, and buys generic food with black and white packaging. Murray moved from a bustling city full of tons of media, to this small college town. He is so used to even more media than he gets now that he can take a step back and not only study it, but also enjoy other parts of life. He now has a porch, and can enjoy the art of the world that was not made to sell

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