How do the catalogues of consumerism and waste function thematically in White No

Question:

How do the catalogues of consumerism and waste function thematically in White Noise?

White Noise is a novel by Don Dellilo.. i have to write a 4-6 page paper and i dont understand the question helppp please anything =(

Additional Details

2 months ago
I'm sure those websites would help me but i dont understand the question.. I read the book and everything but dont know what i'm suppose to write about...White Noise is a novel by Don Dellilo.. i have to write a 4-6 page paper and i dont understand the question helppp please anything =(

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker:

Hi there...
Throughout the book, the author catalogs (i.e. lists) consumerist items/phrases/etc. The author also writes about waste (commercial waste in particular). Your teacher wants to know what the author is trying to do by focusing the reader on these topics of consumerism and waste.

Ex: the Penguins Books edition, p. 148 -- see the italicized Toyota Celica, then on p. 149: "Toyota Corolla, Toyota Celica, Toyota Cressida." This is pointing you towards consumerism. Again, towards the end of ch. 11 --
"Dacron, Orlon, Lycra Spandex." Your teacher wants you to analyze why DeLillo did this.

Think about some of the scenes in the book. One in particular which always comes back to me is how Steffie repeats things: "A little later I watched Steffie in front of the TV set. She moved her lips, attempting to match the words as they were spoken." (end of ch. 17) The author is making a point about how we internalize and react to consumerism, commercials, etc.