The Fears of Death

            It is a universal and woeful reality that every living thing must die eventually. What places us, humans, apart from any animal, insect or living thing on this planet is our awareness of our inevitable demise. Death is something dreadful, no one knows when it could happen or how to gain control of it. When it comes it takes away one's life immediately. The mystery surrounding death leads to fear of the unknown. It is practically impossible for men to see what actually happens beyond their grave. No one knows the truth of death until he/she actually dies. This fear is something we humans have and other living things don't. The realization of death fixes us a level above them all, but can also be thought of in another perspective that we are a level lower instead. Abundant amounts of explorers jeopardized their life in search of the so-called "fountain of life". The reason of this can be explained by the fear of death. As death is such a mysterious and frightful matter, in Don Delillo's White Noise, he agrees that "[at] some level everyone fears death" (p. 197) and this powerful fear can easily influence a person's behaviour and actions. .

             The depiction of how a man can fear death can be found in the protagonist of the novel, Jack Gladney. In the conversation between Murray and Jack in their long stroll outside the college, DeLillo suggests his views on the issue of death. "Do you think your death is premature?" Murray says. "Every death is premature" Jack answers (pg.283). Here, DeLillo is trying to explain that man is afraid that death will arrive too soon. Jack thinks that death at any age is premature and he argues that everybody alive believes in the same notion. This excerpt proves this. "Are you crazy? Of course. That's an elitist idea. Would you ask a man who bags groceries if he fears death not because it is death but because there are still some interesting groceries he would like to bag?" (pg.

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