Britannica AI Icon

Quick Summary

Don DeLillo's novel White Noise (1985) centers on a professor of Hitler studies who experiences an "airborne toxic event." He learns his wife is taking an experimental drug to combat the fear of death and becomes determined to obtain it for himself. The novel, which won the National Book Award, explores themes of consumerism, technology, and the pervasive fear of mortality in contemporary American society. The term "white noise" itself refers to a constant background sound that drowns out other noises, or to meaningless, distracting chatter.12

Summary created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
2 Britannica Sources
  1. Don DeLillo
  2. white noise

Ask Britannica AI about this topic

Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.