Currents (Dec 2024)
Technoapocalypse: the effects of the technological disaster on the human subject in Don DeLillo’s The Silence
Abstract
Multitudes of apocalyptic visions are based on events of great magnitude, such as a global nuclear war, a catastrophic natural disaster or an invasion from outer space. It is easy to imagine the immediate effects of these calamities and all the loss of life, the destroyed infrastructure and the ravaged land. However, there is a more insidious vision of the apocalypse that does not immediately present itself as a spectacle of death and destruction. One of the less frequently used ideas for the end of the world is a disaster that destroys technology. A precise strike of a solar flare or a powerful electromagnetic pulse could lead to the end of modern civilization as we know it. One example of such a catastrophe is presented in Don DeLillo’s The Silence. In the novel, without any warning, all technological devices stop working. The characters in the story struggle with their new situation. While it does not describe a massive panic or more spectacular signs of the end of the world, the text draws attention to a different issue. Above all, Don DeLillo shows how the technology became an inseparable part of not only our lives, but also of our very being. The lack of technological presence directly interferes with the characters thinking and speech. This problematic situation shows that the mysterious event led to something more than lack of connection with the outside world, damaged planes and broken lights. As much as the disaster leads to the ruin of modern civilization, it also shows how the human mind cannot operate properly without stimuli provided by the technology. The novel provides a vision or a warning for the state of the society, which without the access to technology would crumble on the mental level.
