An Ecological Interpretation Of White Noise In Postmodern Context

As a renowned contemporary writer, Don DeLillo (1936-) is often considered as a representative figure of postmodernism in America, together with Thomas Pynchon, Philip Roth, and Cormac Mccarthy. Constantly concerned with the living conditions of America in a postmodern world, DeLillo examines the ways in which different postmodern conditions are combined together, and examines the hidden dangers behind such conditions as well. Through his work, DeLillo presents a profound commentary on the destructive and reconstructive forces of the contemporary society. The famous fiction White Noise is a representation of his broad and deep concern about contemporary American society.Don DeLillo may not be widely known to the world as an environmental novelist, but his work examines the conflict between human being and nature. And the environmental problems described in White Noise is worthy of readers’ attention and reflection. From the perspective of eco-criticism, this thesis attempts to examine the state of the silent nature absent in a postmodern context, and analyze the environmental injustice existing in a hierarchical world in White Noise. Moreover, the thesis discusses the spiritual dilemma faced by people living in a distorted environment. And with a textual analysis on White Noise from the perspective of eco-criticism, the thesis intends to probe into the profound ecological implications reflected in this novel.This thesis is composed of five parts:an introduction, three chapters and a conclusion. The introduction part gives a general description of Don DeLillo’s literary achievements and a brief literature review of previous studies on White Noise from various literary perspectives. Despite assiduous critical efforts and thoughtful interpretations of White Noise, there is still space for further research.Chapter one focuses on the absence of nature in a postmodern context. It is manifested in the following aspects. Firstly, nature is marginalized by the manufactured artifacts. Natural scenery is replaced by city spectacle in some way. Secondly, nature seems to be absent when the ecosphere is seriously contaminated by human activities. Nature is not what it used to be. Thirdly, nature is silenced by noises. Nature is repressed as the "Other" and it becomes something untouchable. Last, nature is replaced by simulation in the postmodern world. The way for human beings to get knowledge of nature is through the images on TV set or radio broadcasts. They do not have the opportunity to contact with nature directly.Chapter two mainly deals with the hierarchical structure in ecosphere as well as among human society. In postmodern society, human beings consider themselves to be the master of nature. The intrinsic value of nature is often ignored. The balance between nature and human beings in the ecosystem is broken. The social system, which is a part of the eco-system, is also in a disharmonious state. The society is constructed in such a way that the minor group is more likely to suffer from environment disasters than people of higher social status.Chapter three discusses the crisis of spiritual ecology of postmodern world. Living in an environment where nature is too far away, postmodern people are suffering from spiritual crisis. The characters in the novel are constantly haunted by the fear of death. What’s more, modern people are living in a disintegrated world and therefore tend to lose their identity. They spend a lot of efforts creating an identity acclaimed by the society while ignoring what they really need. In such a world, even religion is just pretense. People would rather believe in technology rather than the traditional religious doctrines. They lose awe for nature in their heart.By analyzing the natural crisis and the spiritual crisis of people living in the eco-system in White Noise, the thesis reaches the conclusion that human beings should pay more attention to the natural environment and learn to respect nature in a society of high civilization. Although the natural and spiritual disasters in the novel are connected to the philosophical thinking of anthropocentrism, the same thinking pattern also requires human beings to take on their responsibility as the only species with reason on the planet Earth and reserve for the descendent a beautiful world.