How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #7
"You see the sun moving across the sky. But is the sun moving across the sky or is the earth turning?" (6.32)
Here's a noodle-scratcher: does it even make sense to say the sun goes down when we know it's just an illusion caused by the spinning of the globe? In this case, Heinrich shows us a really good example of how our personal point of view is always coloring our reality, and how we can never really know an objective reality because we're always coming at the world from a certain angle.
Quote #8
"But this evacuation isn't simulated. It's real."
"We know that. But we thought we could use it as a model."
"A form of practice? Are you saying you saw a chance to use the real event in order to rehearse the simulation?" (21.396)
Wait a second, these SIMUVAC guys are only supposed to run simulated evacuations, right? But what happens when they use an actual disaster so they can practice to make their simulations better? In a passage like this, DeLillo shows us that in the modern world, simulations or fake realities can sometimes completely replace reality. It's kind of like the way a commercial paints a really fake version of reality, except that in this case, the SIMUVAC guys have the power to turn real life itself into a simulation.
Quote #9
"To begin your project sweater," he said, "first ask yourself what type sleeve will meet your needs." (39.29)
When Jack meets the pill fiend named Willie Mink, it doesn't take Jack long to realize that Willie has totally destroyed his brain with pills. The damage has gotten so bad that Willie can't really tell the difference between his own thoughts and the lines that his TV is feeding him. Willie's obviously been watching some sort of knitting show, but he can't tell where the show ends and "real" life begins. DeLillo uses this kind of scene, and others like it, to show how TV can get into our heads and totally take the place of the "real" world in our minds.