The Significance of Names

College-on-the-Hill
America was founded by the Puritans as a so-called “city on a hill.” Matthew 5:14 says “You are the light of the world, a city on a hill cannot be hidden.”This phrase has been used historically as rationalization for American exceptionalism, Manifest Destiny, the American dream, and the “white man’s burden.” These grand concepts define the idealized nation that the Puritans set out to form. The school that Jack is a professor (in Hitler studies) at is entitled the College-On-The-Hill. The concept of being prominent in the public eye and an example to all others is a familiar one. In this case, however, the college has seemingly meaningless departments focusing on Pop Culture and  Hitler studies. In the first chapter, Delillo describes students returning from vacation as a procession of sameness. Each station wagon is exactly the same as the one behind it. The anonymity and monotony of life in a supposed example for the world demonstrates Delillo’s belief that American exceptionalism is impractical and ridiculous in modern society.

Heinrich
Jack’s greatest desire is to appear knowledgeable and authoritative to his colleagues. In Chapter 14, Denise questions Jack as to how he decided on his son, Heinrich’s, name. He answers, “I thought it had an authority that might cling to him. I thought it was forceful and impressive and I still do. I wanted to shield him, make him unafraid. (63)” Jack demonstrates even in the naming of his son his need to impress and gain an advantage over his competition.

Blacksmith
Blacksmiths are generally seen as uneducated, simple, and hard-working. According to this definition, they are connected to the foundations of American society. Naming the town in which Jack and his family reside Blacksmith creates a feel of small-town simplicity. Murray portrays the town positively in relation to the city, saying it is less corrupted by sexual influence. However, the town is overrun by a sense of monotony. The dual nature of safety and security is demonstrated.

Image Study Part One: The Most Photographed Barn in America and Appearances

When you take a picture of a tourist attraction, what are you really photographing?

One of the most discussed scenes from the novel is a short passage at the end of the third chapter. In the scene, Murray and Jack drive out into the country to see a tourist attraction known as the most photographed barn in America. They see multiple signs for the attraction and a large crowd is gathered near it, taking photos. After a long silence, Murray has an unusual revelation. He states that “No one sees the barn. (12)” What he means by this cryptic phrase is that the tourists are not photographing the barn because it is especially beautiful, antique, or exceptional in any way. They are photographing it for the sole reason that others have photographed it. He states that the tourism is a religious experience, an aura that once inside, one cannot escape. The book is, as a whole, a collection of anecdotes which are related in meaning but do not follow a logical plot path. This fact makes it clear that Delillo did not include such a striking passage by accident.

The passage is directly preceded by Murray’s description of his desire to study Elvis in the way that Jack has studied Hitler. Murray is able to recognize the irony of the tourists photographing the barn but he is not able to recognize the same concept in his own life. The entirety of Elvis’ career was based on a persona. Many people enjoyed his music but simply being a talented musician does not make an artist a phenomenon. The fascination Elvis held for the American population parallels the obsession with photographing the barn. Once a person is aware of the stigma of Elvis, there is no way to escape the aura of his fame.

Another parallel to the barn within the novel is Jack’s job as a professor at the College-on-the-hill. At the school, department heads wear academic robes. As Jack puts it, they are not “sweeping full-length affairs but sleeveless tunics puckered at the shoulders. (9)” These robes represent Jack’s career and personality. He desires the appearance of grandeur but doesn’t desire the actual responsibility. He is the head of Hitler Studies and the originator of the topic but he does not know German. In Chapter 8, he begins taking German lessons. He does not want to learn the language to do better perform his job, he wants to avoid embarrassment in front of his colleagues.

The importance of perception over reality becomes a common theme as the plot progresses. Delillo strives to reveal the artificiality of Americans in the present era and how consumerism and appearances have overtaken the value of the truth.

Character Study- Part One

Jack Gladney is the department head of Hitler Studies at the College-on-the-Hill. He lives a somewhat dysfunctional life with his wife Babette and four of their children from previous marriages. A defining characteristic of Jack is his overwhelming fear of death. He has become obsessed to the point that he reads obituaries and counts off how many years he has left. He cannot come to terms with his own mortality. A second defining characteristic of Jack is the importance of appearances to him. He wants to appear scholarly and knowledgeable to his colleagues so he hides behind his academic robes and persona to avoid a real test of his skill.

Babette is described as an utterly plain woman. She is a physical representation of the average. Her work consists of volunteering by teaching adult education classes and reading tabloids to a blind man. Her physical condition is less than exemplary; she exercises often but lacks the self discipline to lose weight. She is incredibly forgetful. However, Jack considers her superior to his other wives because she is so unexceptional. He considers her small successes miracles and supports her unconditionally.

Denise is Babette’s daughter and the second oldest child in the house. She is precocious and intelligent but disrespectful to her parents and has no problem bossing them around.

Steffie is Jack’s daughter and the second youngest child in the house. She is incredibly sensitive and wears various items of clothing as shields from fear.

Wilder is the youngest child in the family. He is Babette’s son and doesn’t say a word throughout the novel. He is most significant for his crying episodes and for his influence on Jack. He represents an innocence and ignorance of death that Jack is jealous of and Babette wishes to maintain for as long as possible.

Heinrich is Jack’s son and the oldest child in the house. He is logical and disattached to the family. He represents his father’s hope that Hitler studies will provide him a strong posterity and freedom from death.

Murray is a colleague of Jack’s and his only mentioned friend. He wants to start a department surrounding Elvis because his focus is on popular culture. He is constantly making observations and stating opinions about American culture. He becomes a source of wisdom for Jack and a source of insight into Delillo’s thinking for readers.