Az Eszterházy Károly Tanárképző Főiskola Tudományos Közleményei. 2002. Vol. 8. Eger Journal of American Studies.(Acta Academiae Paedagogicae Agriensis : Nova series ; Tom. 28)

Studies - Judit Ágnes Kádár: 'Kleenex-View' and Cultural Devaluation: Merchandise as Ontology in Don DeLillo's White Noise (1985)

The idea that the state as a 'brain' or 'mind' of society owns knowledge, gets more and more out of date in the same degree, as the counter-idea, which says that society can live and develop only if messages Hooding in it are rich in information and can be decoded easily, gets stronger and stronger. The ideology of transparency of information, which walks hand-in-hand with commercialization of knowledge, begins to consider the stale as a factor causing obscurity and noise (Lyotard 17, translation mine). I believe that Jack is aware of this tendency, although his surface actions (what we actually learn from the text) show him to be a perfect agent of conformism (e.g. his job at the college, or his words at the bank). The irony of his voice (e.g. on page 46) and the narrative technique proves the opposite: Chapter 10 ends in the 'perfect harmony of the soul' when he is accepted by the system, i.e. the bankaccount balance is confirmed, nevertheless, Chapter 11 starts with the sentences: "I woke up in the grip of a death sweat. Defenseless against my own racking fears (WN 47)." The recognition is followed by interior fear and quest for a hardcore, a center. The 'good old' routine actions and reactions in the exterior are here now: "to talk seriously to a child" in the kitchen, "where the levels of data are numerous and deep (48)" (see also in Richardson's drama the symbolic kitchenscene). On the way home from Murray's place, they pass along the window of an optical shop and read again brand names. Here the 'Kleenex-view' theme is reinforced, see also Denise's green visor and many other references earlier: the view of things is in question now. Murray says previously that the 'hows' of watching TV and the world are important (see also WN 50). Babette has always got trouble with seeing clearly and now her perception of the world becomes even more confused. She forgets all the details of everyday life, moreover, this seems to be a general tendency, since forgetfulness is in the air... 'Brainwash' is an unmentioned word hanging in the air, but references like drugs reinforce its hidden existence. Babette is a pliable subject to be influenced and controlled, the most terrifying thing about her is that though 'either-or life' mentioned earlier can be boring, she claims: "I hope it lasts forever (53)." Her last sentence means the opposite of what we saw at the end of the previous chapter in Jack's behavior: she passively and powerlessly falls into a unconscious state, a vegetation 201