Thursday, February 26, 2004
Currently in 1102, we're involved with the novel White Noise by Don DeLillo. The novel was published in 1985 (also the year of my birth). The focus of the book is that of the life of Jack Gladney, a Hitler studies professor, and modern consumerism.
On page 46, Jack takes a trip to the bank to use the ATM. He is pleased (and fascinated) to discover that the balance determined by the machine was quite similar to the one he had calculated on his own. He states, "waves of relief and gratitude flowed over me. The system had blessed my life. I felt its support and approval." To conclude the paragraph, he comments, "the networks, the circuits, the streams, the harmonies." At this time in history, ATMs were a new item. Jack is ultimately pleased with the homeostasis that has been achieved between the human world and the technological world. The way important things in one's life, such as the amount of money that is in the bank, connect even through the use of this new technology. He also acknowledges the fact that this technology is beginning to take over many tedious events in life, minimizing the unnecessary time wasted on waiting in line, for instance. Jack is recognizing the usefulness of this new technology, and praising it for the fact that it is quite helpful.
On page 46, Jack takes a trip to the bank to use the ATM. He is pleased (and fascinated) to discover that the balance determined by the machine was quite similar to the one he had calculated on his own. He states, "waves of relief and gratitude flowed over me. The system had blessed my life. I felt its support and approval." To conclude the paragraph, he comments, "the networks, the circuits, the streams, the harmonies." At this time in history, ATMs were a new item. Jack is ultimately pleased with the homeostasis that has been achieved between the human world and the technological world. The way important things in one's life, such as the amount of money that is in the bank, connect even through the use of this new technology. He also acknowledges the fact that this technology is beginning to take over many tedious events in life, minimizing the unnecessary time wasted on waiting in line, for instance. Jack is recognizing the usefulness of this new technology, and praising it for the fact that it is quite helpful.
