Don Delillo's "White Noise"

1500 Words6 Pages
White Noise & Hitler Studies J.A.K Gladney’s relationship to Nazism is a relationship characterised by a number of things, most notably is the way in which he as an “academic” warps Nazism, twisting it. Omitting the aspects that are less favourable to present the subject as a more entertainment than a serious academic study; “With special emphasis on parades, rallies and uniforms, three credits, written reports.”, his use of theatrical flair, the symbols of the Nazis, the “screening of background footage. …of propaganda films, scenes shot at party congresses, outtakes from mystical epics featuring parades” with “crowd scenes” as the predominate focus. Halls decorated with “swastika banners, mortuary wreaths and death’s –head insignia” he ignores the Nazis for what they were, a group of white supremacist racists who committed horrible atrocities, hidden by their use of media and publicity in world war two Germany. In the same way that the Nazis used these symbols so does jack, but this itself is evident of a warped desire, with the benefit of hindsight on what the Nazis did, that he is exploiting it and manipulating what is now known into a form of entertainment for mass consumption is inherently wrong. The only explanation for this is that Gladney is either ignorant or wilfully ignoring the reality of Nazism for the purposes of his course, evident in the ambiguity, “all plots tend to move deathward. … Why did I say it? What does it mean?” perhaps indicative of a fear. As we discover he indeed does realise his falsehoods in this respect, which brings about an intrinsic paradox in that his aspirations were to grow into the power, significance and strength he associates with Germany as evident by his son’s name, “I thought it was forceful and impressive”, whilst he realises he is only bringing shame upon himself. From this we begin to see a number of

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