How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #7
"They isolated the fear-of-death part of the brain. Dylar speeds relief to that sector." (26.132)
Apparently, there's a specific part of our brain that makes us afraid of death, and we're totally capable of creating a pill that takes away our fear. But is it really possible to take something as primal as our fear of death and just turn off that part of our brain? According to White Noise, maybe yes or maybe no. It's up to us to decide what we think.
Quote #8
"It's not just a powerful tranquilizer. The drug specifically interacts with neurotransmitters in the brain that are related to the fear of death." (26.134)
Again, we hear that there are specific parts of the brain that make us afraid of death. We're working on the level of chemical molecules here, but the book keeps begging the question: has the modern world really gone that far? Can we take away any bad feelings we want by isolating a certain part of the brain and sending a chemical rushing to offer a quick fix?
Quote #9
He gobbled more pills, flung others down the front of his Budweiser shorts. I advanced one step. There were cracked Dylar tablets all over the fire-retardant carpet. Trod upon, stomped. He tossed some tablets at the screen. (39.55)
At this point, we've discovered that Willie Mink has totally destroyed his brain with all the Dylar he's been taking. After all, how could you ever take a drug that did something as massive as stopping your fear of death without causing some collateral damage to other parts of your brain? As we can see here, Willie Mink has no ability to take Dylar in moderation. He's an addict, plain and simple. Jack and Babette might be addicts too if they had more access to the pills. Willie wolfs the stuff down like candy. If there were any of us who thought at first that Dylar was a great idea, this might be the part where we start reconsidering.