White Noise: Consumerism or Death

Abstract

This article analyzes Don DeLillo’s novel White Noise (1985) within the context of late-capitalist postmodernity, focusing on its existential understanding of death. The paper explores how death functions as a dominant motif and metaphor for the alienation of the postmodern subject in a simulacral world. Through an examination of Jack Gladney's fear of death and his attempts to mitigate it through consumerist activities, the article argues that alienation and death are inseparable within capitalist logic. The study investigates how DeLillo’s characters grapple with existential questions about death, ideology, and their interrelationships. By employing Althusserian ideological theory, the author contends that Gladney's quest for concrete answers about death leads to a confrontation with postmodern capitalist ideology. The article demonstrates that consciousness of death necessitates a transformation from passive subjectivity to active agency, highlighting the novel’s critique of consumerist culture as a coping mechanism for existential dread.

(The abstract and keywords were prepared retrospectively for indexing purposes using AI-assisted tools and editorial review, based on the original article. They did not appear in the original publication.)