Death

What I wonder most about when reading this novel, and what Prof. Zimmerman pays special attention to, is how the topic of death gives meaning. Before the chemical spill Jack often wondered who would die first, him or his wife. It seems that when death is imminent or underlying the book has a plot. For example, when the Nyodene spill occurred suddenly the book had meaning it was no longer a serious of meaningless events. I believe what Dellilo is trying to tell us is that death gives us purpose, with out death we are just a series of random occurrences.