Everything, in the end, is just "White Noise"

As White Noise progressed, I became more and more unsure of what DeLillo intended by “white noise.” At first, I was absolutely sure that he was referring to the constant flow of information and data. However, I then progressed to feeling he was referring to the absurdity of the white, middle-class society. Maybe the “white” in “white noise” was a double entendre.

The “white noise” may be nothing more than waves and radiation, but DeLillo proves our lives are surrounded by waves and radiation. The airborne toxic event literally surrounded the little college town with radiation. However, as Heinrich points out, they have waves and radiation penetrate through everyday lives. The TV, microwave, radio, etc. all emit waves and radiation, who’s to say the airborne toxic event is the dangerous thing. Maybe the most dangerous waves and radiation surround us everyday.

I think DeLillo’s focus on literal waves and radiation is a commentary on the “white noise” of everyday life. Everything that goes on in the background, the routines, the mindless tasks are really what is dangerous. By succumbing to the white noise, we count down the days to death, instead of focusing on life. DeLillo portrays death in the mundane, everyday life.

“White noise” could also refer to the absurdity of the white, middle class, small town community. Everything that Jack focuses on seems pointless. During the airborne toxic event, he repeats that things such as that just do not affect college professors. He finds security in the supermarket because it is always the same. As long as the supermarket survives, so will life, as he knows it. The absurdity of Jack’s life, especially his thoughts, make “white noise” seem to refer to the noise created by the white middle-class, more than the background noise of life.

In the end, everything is just white noise. The supermarket provided comfort before with its consistency and structure, but at the end of the novel it cannot. However, the supermarket reflects the world. Everyone and everything has a code, a definition, a place; it is all a matter of finding it. If one can find their place, then he or she can find consistency and comfort.