Ethical Relation in Don DeLillo's "White Noise": A Levinasian Approach
Abstract:
In his writings, Emmanuel Levinas has described "Face-to-Face" relation as a relation not reducible to compression and believes it is this encounter of "the face" that puts responsibility to the other on our shoulders and stops us from perusing selfish desires. In this essay through a Levinasian study of Don DeLillo's "White Noise" I want to show, how the people of the society, in this work, are inattentive to the "Face-to-Face" relation which, alongside their self-centered attitudes, leads the protagonist to destructive actions, who finds comfort only after his realization of such relation with the Other.
Keywords: Levinas, White Noise, Face-to-Face, The Other,
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It's not in appearance. Jack Gladney, The protagonist of White Noise, constantly feel under pressure because of the high image he believes he should present of himself to the others as a professor of Hitler studies. This pressure is reinforced by Chancellor's advices on changing his name, growing beard and how he should "grow out" into Hitler. Babette's obsession with her looks and the fact that she teaches adults what Jack calls "basically…how to stand, sit and walk" and is surprised of, shows the importance of maintaining appearance in the society. Another dominant force in the story is Media which advertises a consumerist ideology. Murray's claims that there are humanistic qualities in shopping and there is a spiritual side of being in supermarket and receiving waves from TVs and Radios, is the manifestation of such …show more content…
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