White Noise

by Don DeLillo

“She feels guilty if she doesn’t buy it, she feels guilty if she buys it and doesn’t eat it, she feels guilty when she sees it in the fridge, she feels guilty when she throws it away.”

“What was the barn like before it was photographed?” he said. “What did it look like, how was it different from other barns, how was it similar to other barns? We can’t answer these questions because we’ve read the signs, seen the people snapping the pictures. We can’t get outside the aura. We’re part of the aura. We’re here, we’re now.”

We seem to believe it is possible to ward off death by following rules of good grooming.

Maybe when we die, the first thing we’ll say is, ‘I know this feeling. I was here before.’ ”

The old people shopped in a panic. When TV didn’t fill them with rage, it scared them half to death.

“You don’t believe in heaven? A nun?” “If you don’t, why should I?” “If you did, maybe I would.” “If I did, you would not have to.”