Discussion Response to White Noise

1. Evaluate Jack and Babette's relationship. Is their love genuine and real ?

– Sparkletown

If I were to base my answer on the standards of today’s definition of genuine love, I would say that Jack and Babette’s relationship is not one of real love. Although he appreciates her for the things she does around the house, and how she tends to the children, which are rough types of work, he doesn’t love her for her personality. The two share every single detail of their lives with one another, but it’s not because they actually care for the other person, but because they want to be all knowing. He has had many other wives in the past, in which he has shared every detail of his life with, so his relationship with Babette is no different.

2. Does Heinrich's refusal to admit that it is raining reveal that he is highly intelligent by being able to argue with using complex points, or that he is just annoying and doesn't want to agree with his father?

– Eminem is cooler than you’ll ever be

The main reason Heinrich is placed in the novel is to be used as a foil for his father. His father Jack is a professor of Hitler studies, yet is a major poser. He has lied about knowing German for many years, which is a huge component to understanding the things Hitler has done, and a big part of studying Germany. Jack also creates re-enactments of scenes, and edits them together to make movies for his classes to watch, instead of actually teaching material. It seems like the classroom discussions are not all that important. However, his son Heinrich is utterly brilliant. Although Heinrich is not a professor, he is smarter than his father could ever hope to be. His father doesn’t acknowledge his intelligence, and chooses to argue with him, and then just drop the topic.

3. What evidence of white noise is already evident in the novel?

- A Summer’s Day

The biggest contributor to the title White Noise up until this point is Murray. While they are in the shopping mart, which seems to be a common occurrence, Murray obsesses over the white packaging. He calls it “flavorless packaging.” Murray tells how wonderful the new, generic, Irregular peanuts are, and how he likes the packaging best, even though it is white. A second contributor, this one being to the Noise part is Heinrich. He loves to listen to the radio, and agrees with everything the radio mentions. Even throughout the debate on whether or not it is raining outside, which it clearly is, Heinrich insists that the radio says it will rain tonight. Steffie also insists that the household should boil the water, because the radio said so.