Alright, so I’m 60 pages into White Noise by Don DeLillo, and unlike for other books I’ve read recently in literature classes, I have not done any outside research on this book. I have no idea what the main point of the book is and no idea where the plot is going. Anyways, I would like to make a conjecture as to why the novel is titled White Noise.
So far, White Noise has frequently chronicled the interactions of its main characters with all facets of American culture, from Babette’s excessive buying and wasting of health food and use of chewing gum to quit cigarettes, to the frequent television sounds referenced during scenes in the Gladney home. Murray’s character is even devoted to the study of American culture itself. I think that the title White Noise is meant to portray American culture as white noise. It surrounds us without us noticing and does not provide any real value to our lives. The absurd portrayal of the American environments department and its members also lends credibility to my interpretation. The novel seems like a critique on American culture in general.
These are just my guesses after 60 pages of reading. The current situation that the Gladneys find themselves in with a deadly accidental chemical spill near their home might change things.
Great American Novels 
One reply on “What is White Noise?”
Gus, I tend to agree that the phrase “White Noise” has something to do with American Culture. However, I think that it is a reference to the fact that Americans don’t realize that we have an “American” culture, and Americanism is really just white noise, something all around us but that we never realize is there. Because our culture is a mash up of so many, and by its own a creation, maybe it doesn’t really register of fulfill our human need for culture.
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