A Study Of Anxiety In Don Delillo’s White Noise

As one of the most brilliant contemporary American writers,Don Delillo was awarded National Book Award in 1985 for his “breakthrough” work White Noise.After the publication of this book,he received unprecedented attention and recognition.White Noise mainly discusses how the postindustrial society inflicts“pains” on people,as well as people’s reaction towards dilemmas in life.The book has a rich description of emotion,which is worth particular attention.Therefore,this thesis aims to analyze “anxiety” of the protagonist Jack in White Noise on the basis of the affect theory from Sianne Ngai in the context of post-industrial culture to reveal the potential power behind this negative emotion for Jack to regain subjectivity.In a broader sense,the tenacity and resilience of people in predicaments are also revealed at the same time.The thesis is divided into five parts.First,the introductory part presents the essential information regarding the author,the book,literature review of White Noise from both home and abroad,as well as the theory of Sianne Ngai.Chapter one addresses the manifestations of Jack’s anxiety from the following four perspectives:death anxiety,parental anxiety,career anxiety,and religious anxiety,which induce his overwhelming apprehension,uncertainty,and self-doubt.Chapter two deals with the sociocultural reasons behind for Jack’s anxiety: the side effect of technology,mass media,consumerism,and conspiracy culture,which contribute to the pervasive anxiety in people.Chapter three grapples with the hidden power of anxiety to prompt Jack to seek alternative ways to get rid of it.In this process,Jack interacts with others more authentically to reveal his feelings,promoting better understanding and interpersonal relationship.Moreover,it also prods Jack to fit in and adapt to the once incompatible world by actively engaging in shopping and media.Last but not least,the effort made by Jack to alleviate the death anxiety is an indication of the essence of“being towards death,” and he also regains control of himself by his final “throwing”act.To conclude,the individuals may suffer from anxiety in the post-industrial era,but what is more important lies in the power behind to push them to confront it with various strategies.In this process,the constructive power of anxiety plays a significant role to regain equilibrium in a hostile environment.