정보화시대와 백인자아의 허상: 돈 들릴로의 백색소음

Abstract

Chung-Hee LeeThis paper intends to research the doubleness of technology, media and consumer culture, and the recognition of fantasy of white self in DeLillo's White Noise. Like Baudrillard, DeLillo's world shows the endless replications of images by the disappearance of reality. When the humans accepts the reality on the viewpoint of the white middle class patriarchical man, the upper is enforced to be the entropic simulated world of order and pattern, and the lower is suppressed with the entropic white noises of disorder and chaos. DeLillo warns that the simulated world can engender closure, isolation, and reality-extinction in a vision of dystopian totalitarian world.As a professor of Hitler Studies in College-on-the-Hill, Jack wants to be a modern white self. The more he depends on technology, media and consumerism as magic of life, the more he perceives white noises as dread of death. After his exposure in the Airborne Toxic Event, a confrontation of Jack and SIMUVAC makes him realize that reality is a simulated world and he is a simulated self. The more he tries to get Dylar in the purpose of eliminating the fear of death, the more he is haunted with the amplifying white noises. Jack's confrontation with Mr. Gray becomes a negative epiphany. Mr. Gray, an addict of media, shopping and technology, turns out to be Jack's alter ego. He understands that white noises symbolize the Others which are suppressed by white male dominant system. Jack exists in a simulated world but shows his change. He rejects the simulated self, and accepts the death in life. His self-consciousness of ambivalence would be a promising solution to build up the more ameliorative society.