Scientific references and technology

I am, what you would consider, a "sciency" guy. I couldn't help but notice DeLillo's numerous references to science and technology throughout the text. DeLillo emphasizes throughout the text the marvels of technology. Dylar is a prime example of the technology. On page 188, the paragraph that starts out with "I would think the controlled..." shows how modern technology has enabled the design of such a "clever" drug. The genetically engineered organisms that "ate" the toxic cloud is yet another technological feat. However, DeLillo is also cautious about technology, making numerous references of how technology can backfire (e.g. Nyodene D).

Confusion about Association

In lecture on Wednesday Professor Zimmerman touched on how Wilder biking across the highway, the sunset, and the supermarket were all tied together. I believe he also mentioned how those scenes referred to the nuns as well. I reread the last chapter and cannot draw a conclusion about how all these scenes are related. I think that perhaps the scene with Wilder displays another scene that leads towards death, but then we see that Wilder is saved. This might be another example of a failed plot, but I am not sure. I was just wondering if anyone had any ideas how the sunset and the supermarket panic especially related to the other two?

Expecting Death

When I first finished this book I was very disappointed with the ending. I wondered how not a single person could die at the end of a book focused on death. I hate to admit this, but I was actually hoping that someone would die. When Jack failed to kill Mink, I expected that Mink was going to kill Jack with the one bullet that was left. Then Mink shot him in the wrist, a non-fatal wound. At that point I expected Mink to bleed to death in the car. By the end of the Nun scene, I was disappointed but unsure as to why. Then came Wilder crossing the street. I thought, "well, this is it, Wilder is going to be the one that dies." I was nervous while reading that scene because I did NOT want Wilder to die. Sadly, Wilder's death was what I was expecting. When he didn't die, I was again disappointed. It wasn't until lecture that I understood why I wanted one of the characters to die. I failed to remember the "all plots move deathward" quote. Professor did an excellent job in class explaining why we expect a book like this to end in death and how without that ultimate conclusion, the rest of the novel doesn't seem to have a plot. Looking back, I realize that the lack of a conclusion is what makes this book great. It forces us to think about death in a way that gives meaning to all that came before it.

In class we have been talking a lot about death, going to the extent of saying that only through death does our lives have coherence and meaning. I thought it was very interesting when Professor Zimmerman made this comparison (using death and meaning of life). I think in reference to books and reading, the idea holds true. Through conclusions (and plots) we grasp the meaning of former episodes. NovelS attain meaning throuh the ending (I guess that's why after reading a long novel which has a crappy ending, we are so disappointed. The novel could be great but if the ending isn't then it virtually destroys the work. Endings are truly very important). However, I don't know if I agree with the idea of endings in regards to people's actual lives. If a person dies young, I don't think very much meaning can be attained at all through his/her death. I think as people grow older they are able to grasp different meanings from occurences of their earlier days, but I don't think death is necesssary at all for such to happen..only time. Just an idea.

Wilder Crossing the Street

I could be reading this the part of the book completely wrong but this is what I gathered from Wilder crossing the street and the sunset scene that followed:
To me, DeLillo uses Wilder crossing the street as a symbolic end to his innocence. When he begins to cross the street he is fearless, he has no concept of death. But when the women begin to cry out to him and cars honk at him he begins to cry. In a way he realizes that he can get hurt, he realizes that he is no longer immortal, that it is possible that he can die. In a way, to me DeLillo uses this scene to explain how all humans are born innocent with no concept of death but society instills the fear of death into us.

"Talk Is Radio"

On page 264 with Babette's and Jack's conversation about talking, Babette says "talk is radio". This stood out in my mind as an import quote from this section. I'm not totally sure about the sign
ficance of this statement, but I felt it meant something like this: with radio if you're feeling in the mood you listen to it--to the music, the news, the opinions--but if the radio is on and you really care about what's playing, you can just block it out, ignore it, disregard its exixtence. The sam could be said for talk, we listen to people when we feel like it, but zone out or ignore the speaker if we get bored. Talk is for entertainment, to pass the time, an amusing distraction. Again, I'm not sure about this hypothesis, so please respond with any agreements or disagreements.

Scripts and Stability

When I read the passage with the nuns, I was struck by their committment to a particular life script. The nun Jack talks to makes an understandable point--in order for non-belief to be feasible, "there must always be believers" (319). I think this is commenting on the security and stability scripts give to society. It's about contrasting beliefs, actions, etc. with something else to make them understandable. Once we get to the supermarket scene at the end, it is evident that scripts are important for society. When the supermarket is rearranged, people become confused and upset--their current script is jumbled around. "There is a sense of wandering now, an aimless and haunted mood, sweet tempered people taken to the edge" (326). This is similar to Jack's confusion when he learns that the nun did not really believe--he was thrown completely for a loop when he realized that the nun was following a script to provide stability for society.