Thesis "White Noise"

“As of dead souls babbling at the edge of a dream (DeLillo 4).”

Jack Gladney could easily be considered the main character of Don DeLillo’s novel “White Noise.” The book is seen through Jack’s eyes and told in his first person perspective.  However, Jack is not main the character of the book.  The main character of the book is noise.  Delillo creatively draws attention to the opposing forces of noise in society.  He establishes conflicts of noise in the opening pages that will take place throughout the whole novel.  Delillo describes the Gladney family living on a quiet street with the expressway behind their backyard (DeLillio 4).  The conflict of noise is loud and clear between the quiet street and expressway just feet away.  Noise is significant as it is the main character.  It makes itself present, where so often it has been ignored in the past.