White Noise Youth Quotes

How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)

Quote #4

He seems to bring danger to him. It collects in the air, follows him from room to room. Babette bakes his favorite cookies. We watch him at his desk, an unpainted table covered with books and magazines. (6.44)

There's something not quite right about Heinrich. Jack wishes he could put his finger on it, but the best he can ever do it describe it in vague terms. It's something "dangerous," he thinks, something that follows Heinrich around all the time. The fact is, though, that Jack just doesn't understand his son. The two of them have completely different values, and Jack doesn't make enough of an effort to see the world through his son's eyes.

Quote #5

Denise watched her mother pull the little cellophane ribbon on a bonus pack of sixteen individually wrapped units of chewing gum. Her eyes narrowed as she turned back to the address books on the kitchen table before her. The eleven-year-old-face was an expert mask of restrained exasperation. (10.2)

Again, we see Denise playing the exasperated mother to Babette. In fact, there aren't many times in this book where Babette acts like a mother. In the world of DeLillo, people might actually become less mature as they grow older. This might be because they spend more time thinking about death and less time thinking about everything else. 

Quote #6

So if you go over there, you'll ruin things by embarrassing him and cramping his style because of the father-son thing. And if you don't go over, he'll never know you saw him in his big moment and he'll think he has to behave in your presence the way he's always behaved […] (21.300)

After the Airborne Toxic Event, Jack sees Heinrich giving a speech to a captivated audience. He wants to show his support for Heinrich, but doesn't want to cramp the boy's style. On the one hand, he wants to give the kid space; on the other hand, he wants to show his support. He doesn't know what's best for his son. It's a dilemma that Jack has a lot of trouble overcoming.