（怀尔德：死亡恐惧的镇痛剂——《白噪音》中“无知”的力量与脆弱）

韩 秀

（怀尔德：死亡恐惧的镇痛剂

——《白噪音》中“无知”的力量与脆弱）

韩 秀

内容提要：唐·德里罗被誉为“美国死亡之书”的作品《白噪音》揭示了掩藏在当代美国人心中的对死亡的恐惧，同时也展现了人们为对抗这种恐惧所进行的挣扎。其中的一种尝试便是在主人公最小的儿子杰克身上寻求安慰。在小说营造的这个嘈杂混乱的世界中，怀尔德代表了一种未被科学和知识沾染过的原始而纯真的力量。文章梳理出书中的线索，展示了怀尔德这种源于“无知”的力量的抚慰人心的效果，也通过从庄严神圣到悲切世俗的两场哭泣，表明了这种力量的短暂与脆弱，证明了这种纯真和无知只能作为一种镇痛剂缓和这种后现代的死亡恐惧，但并不能彻底将其治愈。

《白噪音》 怀尔德 无知 死亡恐惧 镇痛剂

Honored by Mark Osteen as the "The American Book of the Dead，" Don DeLillo's White Noise presents to us the restless and incurable fear of death shared by not only the protagonists in the story， but also contemporary Americans in general. Other than uncovering this hidden fear from the ordinary daily life， the book also displays the various attempts made by the protagonists， especially Jack Gladney， to tackle with this fear， such as drawing power from sense of authority and control， relieving anxiety through contentment of consumerism， dwelling in the illusion created by mass media， gaining "life-credit" through violence and even murder， etc. Among these efforts is the attempt to seek comfort in Wilder， the youngest child of the family. In this madding world stuffed with overabundant and confusing information， Wilderstands out as an exception. He is indifferent to the chaotic world， and immune from the panic of death. This paper discusses how Wilder is depicted as the emblem of innocence， and how this innocence grants Wilder a primitive power of consolation and healing. At the same time， however， it also examines how this power is also temporal and limited and thus explains how Wilder serves merely as a sedative rather than a cure for Jack's death fear.

When piecing together those scattered subtle implications， there naturally emerges the symbolic significance DeLillo attaches to Wilder. Firstly and most obviously， the name of Wilder itself is a reference to the primitive. Originated by the word "wild，" the name of Wilder immediately reminds us of words like "natural" and "uncultivated" or "reckless" and "uncontrollable，" which， as is to be elaborated in the following analysis， are exactly the qualities Wilder possesses. The name "Wilder" also brings the word wilderness to our mind， which is also noteworthy， since wilderness is another recurring motif of the story that is closely related to Wilder. In a sense， Wilder is born with an aura of the wilderness. Obvious as it is that Wilder is not the biological child of Jack， details of Wilder's natural father might escape our attention. The man is actually someone doing research in the outback of Western Australia， a highly significant place well known to be wild， primitive，and uncivilized. When describing Wilder's eight-yearold brother Eugene who grows up in this televisionfree area， Jack believes the boy to be "worth talking to...as a sort of wild child， a savage plucked from the bush， intelligent and literate but deprived of the deeper codes and messages that mark his species as unique."Though Wilder does not really grow up in that wild area， he shares with his brother a pure mind uncontaminated by exposure to mass media. Therefore it is safe to say that he is still surrounded by the breath of wilderness he carries since his birth，which is not yet penetrated by the poisonous air of modernity. Wilder's connection with the primitive and holy place and his innocence not only remain a protection to himself， but also endows him a comforting and healing power to ease the fear and anxiety of Jack and Babette.

For three times， Babette， in an urgent and panicstricken way， asks directly about the whereabouts（"where is Wilder"） of Wilder and for at least two more times indicates her search for Wilder. After the "Airborne Toxic Event，" and in the Dylarama， Babette grows more and more attached to and dependent on Wilder. Constantly she reveals to Jack that she thinks "it's being with Wilder that picks ［her］ up" and that she is "spending more time with Wilder" because he "helps ［her］ get by."This healing power of Wilder is not restrictedly effective to Babette. Jack himself finds Wilder a solace and a sedative to his incurable fear for death. He enjoys the company of Wilder. While most parents like being with their children，there is much more to Jack's feeling than simple parental love. He seems to have a habit of watching Wilder sleep， and feels "selfless and spiritually large，" as well as "refreshed and expanded in unnameable ways"afterwards. From the diction， we are able to see that Wilder is depicted as possessing a mysterious power to set Jack's mind free from the shackles of his anxieties of death， and extend it to a spiritual grandness.

Still， the best example of Wilder's power is his unreasonable crying. This primitive and natural power of Wilder is elevated to a religious sublimity. The unique holiness is made clear to the reader through the description of the crying: "It was a sound so large and pure I could almost listen to it， try consciously to apprehend it， as one sets up a mental register in a concert hall or theater. He was not sniveling orblubbering. He was crying out， saying nameless things in a way that touched me with its depth and richness."Wilder's crying has been endowed with a sacred power. It is not at all the whining of a baby，but rather a call for those who are sensitive and wise enough to join in this ritual of cleansing. In addition，the fact that Jack is touched by something of "depth and richness" and that he nods "sagely" shows that he is able to be summoned and to share this aweinspiring experience with Wilder. Therefore the temporary transformation has been completed. Jack is no longer the confused father worrying for the child，but has become， for that period of time， a disciple caught in a moment of comfort and revelation.

Realizing the extraordinary significance of the crying， Jacks begins to embrace it: "I let it wash over me， like rain in sheets. I entered it， in a sense. I let it fall and tumble across my face and chest...I let it break across my body...I entered it， fell into it，letting it enfold and cover me." This series of actions is a gradual process. He steps in the water， lets it floods over him， penetrates him and at last wraps him. This state of Jack resembles that of a baby in the mother's womb， where he is protected from all the noises of the world and where he could rest in peace. That is the reason why he finds the experience "good" and "strangely soothing."

This chapter is also important in the sense that it reveals and underlines the source of Wilder's power. It is mentioned that Wilder has disappeared into a "lost and suspended place，" where the fruit of a "reckless wonder of intelligibility"is preserved to pick. At the end of this chapter， it is reinforced that this place Wilder has gone to is "some remote and holy place，in sand barrens or snowy ranges—a place where things are said， sights are seen， distances reached which we in our ordinary toil can only regard with the mingled reverence and wonder we hold in reserve for feats of the most sublime and difficult dimensions."Therefore， it may be concluded that this sacredness and holiness of the crying and the consoling and protective power of Wilder comes from his connection with this wild， natural， and primitive place， a place that opens to only those who are still young， or whose soul still remains untarnished by the mundane and madding modern life.

As it is already quite clear that Wilder does possess a power of consolation， we might set out to find out why Wilder is the only one endowed with the power and the only one that can still keeps the connection with the innocent wilderness. There is，however， nothing magical to this power； what makes him special is simply his age. In an interview of DeLillo， he underlines how it is easier for children， to find their way towards truth "［c］hildren have a direct route to， have direct contact to the kind of natural truth that eludes us as adults."This is certainly the case of Wilder， the youngest child of the family. We are not given the specific age of the child in the text，though from the fact that he cannot tell from a real person to the image in television and that he is able to speak， but is also believed to be "stalled at twentyfive words，"we could make a rough guess about his age at about two years old， an age that is intermediate between the utter obscurity and the enlightenment. This age provides Wilder a shield to be affected by the craze for knowledge. In Jack's contemplation，he is amazed at how Wilder's world is "a series of fleeting gratifications" and believes that the magic comes from Wilder's forgetfulness: He took what he could， then immediately forgot it in the rush of a subsequent pleasure.Later， Jack returns to his admiration for the carefree nature of Wilder and offers further elaborations:

I always feel good when I'm with Wilder. Is itbecause pleasures don't cling to him？ He is selfish without being grasping， selfish in a totally unbounded and natural way. There's something wonderful about the way he drops one thing， grabs for another. I get annoyed when the other kids don't fully appreciate special moments or occasions. They let things slide away that should be kept and savored. But when Wilder does it， I see the spirit of genius at work.

This observation is quite acute. Pleasure does not cling to Wilder and neither dose any anxiety，because he himself does not cling to anything. At that carefree age， he is not yet obsessed with anything，material products or knowledge， and in a sense nothing can harm him if nothing affects or genuinely interests him.

The most illuminating revelation of Wilder's source of power comes from Murray: "He doesn't know he's going to die. He doesn't know death at all."These two simple lines lay bare the core of Wilder's strength. Wilder age makes him naïve，innocent from the allure of the consumerist society，from the overabundant and confusing knowledge of the world， but most importantly， from the knowledge of death. This ignorance grants him the "freedom from limits" and "exemption from harm，" and makes him an "omnipotent littler person."In a word， at the age of about two years old， Wilder is still protected by the innate innocence and not yet contaminated by knowledge， and that endows Wilder a holy and mighty power of innocence to protect himself and to console the adults. Nevertheless， this power can at the same time be vulnerable as well.

As is discussed， Wilder is veering towards the age to learn and to know， and along with this knowing comes the loss of innocence. We are also given hints of his change in the details of their life，one of which is his growing curiosity of the world. At about the two thirds of the story， there is a passage indicating the growth of curiosity of Wilder: "Wilder sat on a tall stool in front of the stove， watching water boil in a small enamel pot. He seemed fascinated by the process. I wondered if he'd uncovered some splendid connection between things he'd always thought of as separate."While the readers may be familiar with the proverb of "curiosity kills the cat，" what DeLillo presents here is a far more destructive power of curiosity. Curiosity is a huge step towards knowledge； knowledge， while it penetrates obscurity，it also effaces the innocence of a person. Consciously，or unconsciously， the family tries to preserve his innocence by intersecting Wilder's line of gaze， but unfortunately it is an unavoidable and irreversible process.

Wilder's loss of innocence is shown in the last chapter of the novel， where he narrowly escapes death but comes to know about death at last. While many critics notice the significance of Wilder's escape of death， what they make out of the scene vary dramatically. Mark Conroy puts his emphasis of its reading on the escape， believing that up until then，Jack still "hopes to see it as a 'good omen'" and is seeking guidance from Wilder， and thus considers this passage a proof that Jack "has indeed succumbed to superstition."Marion Muirhead shares a positive attitude towards this escape， believing that though Wilder "ventures outside his normal behavior to a new and dangerous frontier，" he "escapes without serious consequences，"proving it to be a daring but quite successful adventure. Annjeanette Wiese，however， realizes that the near-death experience is no longer an exemplification of Wilder's power. Rather， it is a shift that suggests Wilder "becomes aware of being in a precarious or at least undesirable situation，"a moment of truth for Wilder. Laura Barrett shares the idea that the event "is a rite of passage" and "the endof Wilder's inhuman innocence，" and that "［Wilder's］pain upon tumbling into a 'water furrow' is a baptism into a new realm，"though without offering further elaborations.

This knowledge of death and this realization of the reality of the world are an irresistible force that deprives Wilder of his innocence and pulls Wilder down from the altar， which is justified by his fall: "He reached the other side， briefly rode parallel to the traffic， seemed to lose his balance， fall away， going down the embankment in a multicolored tumble."Three words are used in one sentence to emphasize Wilder's fall: "fall away，" "going down，" and "tumble." It is not just a fall from the highway， it is also the fall from the altar， and once fallen， there is no way he could find his connection back to the pure and primitive place any more. From that moment on， the more knowledge he is about to gain， the further away he is to be from the wilderness he comes from.

Equally significant and symbolic to this fall is the lifting of Wilder by the motorist from the muddy water:

When he reappeared a second later， he was sitting in a water furrow， part of the intermittent creek that accompanies the highway. It took him a moment，mud and water everywhere， the tricycle on its side…And he seemed， on his seat in the creek， profoundly howling， to have heard them for the first time， looking up over the earthen mound and into the trees across the expressway...when a passing motorist， as such people are called， alertly pulled over， got out of the car，skidded down the embankment and lifted the boy from the murky shallows， holding him aloft for the clamoring elders to see.

This scene resembles the ceremony of baby baptism， which is still prevailing in the many Christian churches， such as the Orthodox Church，Lutheran Church， the Methodist Church， despite a different voice from Baptist Church. In these ceremonies， the baby is immersed in the holy water and then held up to show that they are cleansed and are reborn into the world. In this scene however，Wilder has fallen into the muddy water， polluted by the everyday trash of modern life and possibly still some remains of the toxic materials. Therefore，soaked in this dirty water， rather than cleansing，Wilder receives staining， and when he is lifted and held aloft， he is already carrying the taints that marks him as the ordinary. The reckless but holy boy who is able to immerse himself in his own exclusive and joyous world is forever gone. The new boy here is the one that finally listens to the voices of the old ladies，that receives help from the motorist， a man from the mundane modern world. Fallen from the altar and marred by the dirty water， the boy presented to the world by the motorist is a new-born baby to the earthly world.

What merits our attention is the fact that while Wilder's crying is used previously to display his primitive power. Here， Wilder's crying is again presented， but as the proof of his loss of innocence. From the change of diction， it is made clear that this crying no longer implies his connection with the holy place. Compared with the mysterious and solemn way of depicting Wilder's crying before， this time，it is simply "cry" and even "howling." This change of diction is to remind us that this boy has changed，that he has already "known." As we have discussed，the omnipotence of Wilder is originated from his innocence and ignorance from death. At this moment，however， he sees the danger， and he realizes for the first time the world he lives in is not just a playground where he could dwell in a care-free way. He has to care， and has to learn because death is aheadsomewhere around the corner， and he has to know how to avoid it.

It is also quite noticeable that this chapter is narrated from the point of view of Jack， the loving father of Jack， because his reaction towards the scene is quite unusual or abnormal as a father. When even the strangers display such anxiety and provide much help， Jack does not even show any attempt to rescue or at least to stop him. This whole event is told in a sad， solemn but calm way. This abnormality can be explained only if we take this scene as seriously as that of his first crying， which is not an ordinary act of a child， but has a religiously symbolic meaning. This narrow escape from death and more importantly this realization of death signifies the loss of innocence of Wilder. Thus， it is the understanding of this irretrievable and inevitable process that prevents Jack from any action.

From the analysis above， we are able to see how Wilder possesses the power of innocence which is capable of consoling Jack and his wife，but we are also faced with the fact that this power is limited and vulnerable. Once reaching the age of learning and knowing， this exposure to the modern world will pollute the soul of the child and this power of innocence is thence forever gone. Just like Babette's two most desirable but unobtainable things in the world: "Jack not to die first. And Wilder to stay the way he is forever."Death is inevitable and irreversible， and so is the loss of innocence. Nevertheless， although Wilder is not the antidote or the permanent cure for the protagonists' death fear，he serves as the sedative that eases their pain for a moment.

【Works Cited】

［1］［2］［3］［4］［5］［6］［7］［9］［10］［11］［12］［13］［14］［19］［20］［21］ DeLillo，Don. White Noise. New York: Penguin Books， 1985， pp.50-322.［8］ DeLillo， Don. "An Outsider in This Society." Interview by Anthony DeCurtis. Introducing Don DeLillo. Ed. Frank Lentricchia. Durham: Duke University Press， 1991， p.64.

［15］ Conroy， Mark. "From Tombstone to Tabloid: Authority Figured in White Noise." Critique， 1994， 35（2）， p. 109.

［16］ Muirhead， Marion "Deft acceleration: The occult geometry of time in White Noise." Critique， 2001， 42（4）， p. 410.

［17］ Wiese， Annjeanette. "Rethinking Postmodern Narrativity: Narrative Construction and Identity Formation in Don DeLillo's White Noise." College Literature， 2012， 39（3）， p.17.

［18］ Barrett， Laura. "How the dead speak to the living: Intertextuality and the postmodern sublime in White Noise." Journal of Modern Literature， 2002， 25（2）， p.105.

Wilder: A Sedative for the Fear of Death—The Strength and Vulnerability of the Power of Innocence in White Noise

Honored by Mark Osteen as the "The American Book of the Dead"， Don DeLillo's White Noise unveils the fear of death resides in the mind of contemporary Americans， but also presents their various struggles to tackle with this fear. Among these efforts is to seek comfort in protagonist Jack's youngest son， Wilder. In the noisy and chaotic world created in the novel， Wilder is the emblem of a primitive and innocent power that is uncontaminated by science and knowledge. By sorting out the clues in the text， this article reveals the consoling power of Wilder's innocence. Nonetheless， through the degradation from a solemn and scared crying to a pathetic and mundane crying， it also shows the brevity and vulnerability of the power， which proves that， instead of a permanent cure， this innocence can only serve as a sedative to ease the postmodern death fear.

White Noise Wilder Innocence Death Fear Sedative

Han Xiu is from The School of English and Foreign Studies， Beijing Foreign Studies University. Research interests are American Literature and African American Literature.

韩秀，北京外国语大学英语学院，研究方向为美国文学、黑人文学。