Re is a de Es udios No eame icanos, n.• 4 ( 1996), pp. 345 -
355
A DISTURBANCE
OF
MEMORY:
LANGUAGE, TERROR, AND INTIMACY
IN
DON
DELILLO'S
1HE
NAMES
BR
UCE M. GATENBY
ldaho S a/e Uni e si y
Be o e h
e
eyes was he iolen blue sky-no hing else. Fo an endless
momen she looked in o i . Like a g ea o e powe ing sound i des oyed
e e y hing
in
he mind, pa a
ly
z
ed
he . Someone had once said o he ha
he sky hides he nigh behind
i
, shel e s he pe son benea h om he
ho o ha lies abo e. Unblinking, s
he
ixed he solid emp iness, and he
anguish began o mo e in he . A any momen , he ip can occu , he
edges ly back, and he gian maw will be e ealed.
-Paul
Bowles, The Shel e ing Sky
No
de ini ion
o
science is comple e wi hou a e e ence o e o .
- Don DeLillo, Ra ne 's S a
In
he ma gin
o
a copy
o
Diophan u
s'
A i hme ica is sc ibbled Fe ma 's las
heo em. This bi
o
ma ginalia, which asse
s ha a speci ic ma hema ical equa ion
can ne e eally be sa is ied, has haun ed ma hema
i
cians o h ee cen u ies. No one
has been able o econs uc Fe ma 's p oo o his asse ion; bu no one has been able
o co
un
e he asse ion ei he .1
I
is a p ecu so
o
Heisenbe g's Unce ain y P incipie
and God
el
's Theo um o mula ed e en as New on
wa
s heo izing his dynamic heo ies
l.
JF
n>2. hen he e is no
so
lu ion o xn + yn =
zn
. Se e
a!
ma h
ema
cícians ha e claimed
o
ha
e
he p oo o Fe ma 's h
eo
em
(i
ncluding Fe ma himsel , who claimed o ha e ound he
p oo , bu easingly
ema
k
ed
ha he ma gin
o
A i hme ica
was
oo small o
hold
i
),
mos
ecen ly And
ew
Wiles
o
P ince on Uni e si y. Fe ma 's equa ion is a single line; Wiles
's
«p oo »
is
200 pages long and emains o
be
e i ied.
346
B uce
M.
Ga enby
o
a clockwo k uni e se; «laws» p emised upon he cons an s
o
posi ion, eloci y
and
mass
and
e i ied h ough clock- ime.
E en sys ems as logical
and
cons an as ma hema ics emble upon he
oid.
Fo
he sys em
o
eal numbe s, he symbols ha cons i u e he language
o
ma hema ics,
we e chosen o hei u ili y and no o hei co espondence wi h eali y.
Ma hema ic
s
is
pu e
language, pu e pa em, pu e abs ac ion, pu e ou ine- a collec ion
o
symbols
ha e e only
o
hemsel es. Acco ding
o
Roge Pen ose in The Empe o 's New
Mind
,
eal numbe s e e o a ma hema ic
al
idealiza ion a he han o any ac ual
physically
objec i e quan i y.
The
sys em
o
eal numbe s has he p ope y, o example,
ha
be
ween
any wo
o
hem,
no
ma e how close, he e lies a hi d.
I
is
no
a
all
clea
ha physical dis ances
o
imes can ealis ically be said o ha e his p ope y.
(86)
Don DeLillo, in Ra ne 's S a , de ines ma hema ics as «wha he wo ld
is
when
we
sub ac ou own pe cep ions
...
he
p e
ss o measu e and del e
...
in anno a ed i o y
ools
,
Jeng hs
o
no ched wood, in he wa eguide manipula ion
o
ligh and
ou
nosings
in o
he
cho eog aphy
o
p o ons» ( 432). Th ough malhema ics «we implica e ou sel es in
endless
unce ain y» (432). Re e ences o ma hema ics occu in mos o DeLillo's no els,
bu
his
mos cu ing c i icism
o
his scien i ic impulse o codi y and con ol occu s in Ra ne
's
S a , a no el whose
e y
s uc u e, as Tom LeClai has shown,
is
« he
his o y
o
ma hema ics
...
mo ing in i s 2,500 yea s away om
i ~
ounda ions
in
conc e e expe ience
owa d inc easing abs ac ion, and hen, in he wen ie h cen u y, mo ing backwa d h ough
i s achie emen s oin es iga e hose ounda ions»2 (ll6).Ra ne
's
S a aces BillyTwillig
's
(and o he ) a emp s
o
decode a mys e ious message supposedly sen by an in elligen
ace («Ra ne ians») li ing in he icini y o Ra ne 's S a . Billy, who belie es ha he e is
no hing sca y abou ma hema ics, e en ually decodes he message, p o ing ha i o igina ed
om Ea h a he han Ra ne 's S a (which u ns ou lo
be
a black
hole- he
ul ima e
non ep esen able e o
o
Lhe
uni e se) A he same ime, he lea ns abou he ue e o a
he hea
o
ma hema ics, a e o unleashed by ma hema ician
s'
a emp s o in es i
ga
e
(
o
decons uc ) he e y ounda ions
o
ma hema ics i sel . The inhabi an s o Field Expe imen
Numbe One a emp o c ea e a me ama hema ics, «Logicon,» which, acco ding o
Cha
-
les Moleswo h, «is needed in o de o insu e he cohe ence
o he
ma hema ical solu ions
ha will be de eloped and o con ol ali possible communica ion wi h ex a e es ials»
(147).
O
cou se, any a emp o c ea e a comple e sys em only p o es he incomple eness
o
any one sys em (Géidel's Theo um once again), e ealing
h
e unce ain y and e o ha
unde lies sys ema izing a emp s o ep ess and con ol. E en Billy e en ually succumbs
o he e o
a
he hea
o
ma hema ical abs ac ion, ollowing his men o ,
Rob
So ly,
in o a (
sy
mbolically black)
hol
e a he end
o
he no el.
2.
(n
an in e iew wi h
LeClai
(one
o
only
womaj
o
in e iews h
e's
gi en) DeLillo
says
o
Ra ne 's S a : «I
wan ed
he book
o
become
wha
i
was
abou . Abs ae! s uc
u e
s
and
connec i e pa e ns. A
piece
o
ma hema i
cs
in
s
ho
» ( «An In e i
ew
Wi h
Don
DeLillo
»,
Con empo a y Lile a u e 23 [1982], p. 27).
A Dis u hance
o
Memo y: Language, Te o
and
ln imacy in Don Delillo's The Names 347
DeLillo 's me apho o his undamen al unce ain y
a
he hea
o
all sys ems is
a ma hema ical equi alen and ic ionaliza ion
o
he concep
o
black holes, he
«mohole», named a e O ang Mohole, one
o he
eccen ic ma hema icians in Ra ne 's
S a . Mohole has come up wi h
«a
unique sys em
o
ela i i y,» a whose co e is he
«mohole o ali y» o « alue-da k dimension» (80). The essence o Moholean ela i i
y,
« ha in a moho le he laws o physics a y om one obse e o ano he » ( 185), is
comple e unce ain y and, consequen ly, e o . A mohole is like a mi o ha e lec s
ligh and sound o o he pa s
o
he uni e se, excep ha i is no a mi o .3
«l 's
pa
o
a heo e ical dimension lacking spa ial ex en and de oid
o
ime alue.
Value-da k
in
o he wo ds»
(181).
Moho les can ' exis
in
Eins ein 's space
-
ime
con inuum:
«'
whe e e he e a e
moholes'
implies ha a moho le occupies space,
which i
doesn' .
1 suppose i could be said ha a mohole is space- ime aised o a
highe elec o alen powe , o sylphed»
(181).
Wha
is ce ain abou moholes is
ha hey e ea! « he inadequacies
o
human Ianguage
in
he
ace
o
he mohole
phenomenon» (
181
), he inadequacy
o
language o adequa ely
ep
esen and de i-
ne exac ly wha a mohole is.
The
me e men ion o moholes is enough o unleash ea
and e o in Mohole's ellow scien is s:
Jus men ion he alue-da k dimension and people go glassy-eyed. Ali
hese ea s abou in isible mass. These mo bid pa ies
u])
o
whimpe ing people.
Missing ma e is explained by Moholean ela i i
y.
The mass holding he galaxies
oge he is apped in moholes. This is why we can
'
ind
i .
..
Oddly he people
showing he g ea es ea a e o en he same ones who suppo e e y s ep in my
o mula ion, om he big bang o he n-bo omed hole. The explana ion o he
missing mass igh ens hem mo e han he ac ha so much mass is missing
(183).
So does he ac ha Ea h i sel ums ou o be in a mohole. As
Tom
LeClai
commen s, «
h
e u e ly abs ac Mohole heo y is ans o med in o a conc e e u h ha
causes an almos eligious e o in Billy and he o he scien is s» (130). I onically, as
he e o s
o
he scien is s and ma hema icians
in
Ra ne 's S a show, i is he e y
a emp o sys ema ize, o explain, ha e eals he undamen al unce ain y and e o
o
he unknowable and nonsys ema izable.
DeLillo's in e es
in
ma hema ics is di ec ly ela ed o his in e es in how « he
3.
A mohole, like a black hole, is non ep esen a ional. Mohole ells Billy: «lnciden ally,
i s no good ying o isualize a mohole.
I' e
ai ead y i
ed
and i
can
'
be
done. Nobody knows
wha i looks like because i doesn' look like any hing» (p.
181
).
O
cou se, Billy would ha e no
p oblem isualizing wha Mohole looks
like-bu
his con usion
o
names (and names ha ep esen
non ep esen a ional
co
ncep s) and he objec s hey signi y poin s
o
he pos s uc u alis concep
o
language as a se
o
a bi a y signi ie s.
348
B uce M.
Ga enby
inadequacy»
o
language ep esses i s own incompJe eness h ough he
logocen i
c
ope a ion
o
such cons an s as anscenden al
u h-and
how
his incomple eness is
linked o he co
nc
ep
o
e o discussed abo e. Al hough DeLillo has denied any in e es
in con empo a y language heo y,4 he is in close ag eemen wi h De ida in
his
belie
ha
i
is language i sel ha o de s eali y by c ea ing sys ems
o
sa e y ha pa adoxically
seek o conceal he ac ha eali y (wo ld) has no eal connec ion wi h he
symbols
(wo d) ha ep esen i . Like many pos modem linguis ic philosophe s, DeLillo eels
we
seek o c ea e ou sense
o
uni y by loca ing a poin
(o
cons an!) om
which
a
ou ine,
o
sys em
o
sa e y, can be cons uc ed.
Ye
, o Delillo,
i
is no
only
he
ep esen a ional ailu e
o
ma hema ics, bu
o
language i sel , ha is he undoing
o
ali
sys ems based upon cen alized, anscenden al u hs.
I
is
in
Th
e
Names
ha Delillo mos di ec ly in es iga es he need o «subdue
and
codi y» (80), o o de he andom, chao ic oid
o
he uni e
se
in o a meaning ul"pa e n
o
epe i ion and ein o cemen . He e James Ax on, an Ame ican expa ia e isk
analys
li ing in A hens, a emp s o ind ou «how a
men
will go o sa is y a pa e n,
o
ind
a pa em,
o
i
oge he he elemen s
o
a pa em» (80) by himsel ying o ind
meaning
in he appa en ly andom mu de s
o
a possible e o is g oup. Te o ism
becomes
he
hinge ha b eaks apa he sys em
o
sa e y called « ou ine» in he no el, e ealing
he
chaos, he diso de , inhe en in
h
e sys em, he elemen ha canno
be
signi ied
o
codi ied
in o o de , bu only supp essed. This is he «su p ise»
o
ou ine. As we con inue o
cons uc mo e elabo a e sys ems
o
mechanized ou ine
in
o de o subdue and
codi y
he oid, o sa is y he pa em, o ind a uni ying ligh ha
is
only (in wen ie h
cen u y
e ns) a cinema ic iliusion, we only inc ease he abili y o e o o in luence
and
o e whelm us.
Delillo's cen al example
o
his p ocess is he ilmmake F ank Vol e a,
who,
de ea ed
in
his a emp o unde s and e o ism by ying o ilm one
o he
cul 's
mu de
s
(and hus ep esen e o on ilm), con empla es he solace o e ed by he mechanical
ou ine
o
opening and ope a ing F ank's Sa ne Day D y Cleaning. Vol e a him
se
l ha
s
been subdued and codi ied by
hi
s con ac wi h chaos and seeks e uge
in
he o dina y,
he epe i ious, he p edic able. Plo s, whe he as simple as Vol e a's scheme,
o as
complex as he ma ginalized CIA agen
s'
assassina ion
o
P esiden Kennedy in Lib a,
a e a emp s o o de
o
con ol chaos. Fo DeLillo i is such a emp s a sys ema iza ion
i sel ha empowe e o and dea h
in
he i s
pl
ace.
In
a emp ing o supp ess e o ,
o mas e i , Delillo's cha ac e s only succeed in unleashing i and in
um
des oying
4. In a ecen in e iew, An hony DeCunis asked DeLillo, «
In
The Names and
some
o
you o he books, language i
se
l
see
ms
o
be
one
o
you subjec s. Tha sel - e e en ial quali y
pa allels a lo
o
heo e ical wo k being done in philosophy and li e a y c i icism hese days.
Do
you ead much w i ing
o
ha kind?» DeLillo eplied, «No, I don ' » ( n oducing
Doi1
DeLill
o,
p.
61).
A Dis u bance
o
Memo y: Language, Te o
and
ln imacy in Don Delillo's The Names 349
hei ca e ully plo ed sys ems
o
sa e y. Fo Delillo, ali plo s, whe he e o is plo s
o
ic ional plo s, end up p omo ing dea h.5
I
D
eL
illo seems obsessed wi h be na u e
o
language and i s ela ion o be
wo ld, DeLillo's ela i ely ew in e p e e s a e absolu ely obsessed wi h be na u e
o
language in bis no el
s.
The Names, in which language seems o be he cen al concem,
has elici ed pa icula a en ion o DeLillo 's a i udes and uses
o
language. Fo example,
Tom LeClai educes DeLillo 's penchan o «composing ex ual pa ems» in The Na
mes
o «Spa ial
onn,
a s uc u e
o
co espondences, mul iple sub ex s, and na a i e
pe spec i ism» ( 178). And Da id Boswo h w i es:
The Names is abou «naming,» abou language, abou i s i a ional, emo i e,
almos
my
s ical powe ; abou how, benea h he pale skin
o
hei meaning, wo ds
link
up
in a kind
o
geome ic abs ac a ha soo hes ou deepes ea s and
sa is ies ou
mo
s u gen need o escue o de om he chaos
o
ou li es
...
DeLillo i np esses on us bis iew ha wha ma e s abou language is i s «pal em
,»
i s deepe hy hms and syn ax, he design behind be signs a he ban wba hey
signi y. (29-30)
Tbis ecalls Deleuze and Gua a i 's no ion
in
A Thousand Pla eaus
o
a sign as
e e ing only o o he signs, which add
up
o a empo a y, amo phous con inuum, a
pos signi ying egime
o
signs, a he ban a supposedly s able, «pa anoid-in e p e i e
ideal» sys em
o
signi ica ion. I is he pa em ha is impo an , no wha be pa em
signi ies, since signs e e only o o be signs. Tbis e olu iona y, coun e signi ying
egime «ma ks a mobile and plu al dis ibu ion, wbich i sel de e mines unc ions and
ela ions, wbicb a i es a a angemen s a he han o als,
di
s ibu ions a be ban
collec ions, whicb ope a es mo e by b eaks, ansi ions, mig a ions, and accumula ion
ban by combining uni s» (
118
).
An «accu a e» in e p e a ion
o
exac ly wba a pa em
signi ies is impossible. Signi icance is no ep esen ed om, bu p ojec ed upon, he
wo ld, wbich becomes a whi e wall
o
blank sc een upon wbich meaning is p oduced.
Con a y o DeLillo's public s a emen s abou a lack
o
in e es in con empo a y
heo y, b
is
ideas on language o en mi o hose
o
pos s uc u alis heo is s like Deleuze
and Gua a i. DeLillo, howe e , is also a no elis , and mos
o
bis c i ics, in hei
5. DeLillo
's
Lib a bo h suppo s and unde cu s he pa anoid no ion ha ali plo s a e seamless
s uc u es, logical connec ions ha add up o a cen al in e p e i e u h.
Fo
DeLillo, he pa anoid
necessi y o plo , o con ol he di e se mul iplici y
o
he wo ld h ough a ca e ully cons uc ed
sys em
o
sa e y, is a dea h-p omo ing ac i i y. Nicholas B anch, he
CIA
emp
loyee
in
Lib a
c
ha
ged wi h w i ing
an
o icial «his o y»
o
he Kennedy assassina ion, belie es « he e is enough
mys e y in he ac s as
we
know hem, enough
o
conspi acy, coincidence, loose ends, d
ead
ends,
mul iple in e p e a ions. The e
is
no need,
he
hinks, o in en he g a
nd
and mas e ul scheme,
he plo ha eaches lawlessly in a dozen di ec ions» (Lib a, p. 58).

350 B uce
M.
Ga
enby
en husiasm o DeLiJio 's c i iques
o
language, ha e Jos sigh
o
he human
elemen
in
his no els, mos speci ically cha ac e iza ion. While his cha ac e s a e o en c i icized
as
being la , his majo achie emen in The Names, beyond any me a ic ional
musings
on he ole
o
language, is an in es iga ion
in
o wha i means o be a cha ac e ,
wha
i
means o be human, in a wo ld cons uc ed
o
pos s uc u ali
s
language. His
heme
is
in imacy: in imacy wi h place, wi h people, wi h he wo ld, wi h he pas , and wi h
language i sel , which becomes, no a ba ie agains , bu a means o , he sha ing
o
human expe ience. Wha James Ax on disco e s, as he inally ascends he Ac opolis a
he
end
o
he no el, is he powe o memo y (ul ima ely, a linguis ic cons uc ) o
edeem he pas h ough he ac
o
na a i e.
In The Names DeLillo e e s o memo y
as
« he acul y
o
absolu ion» (304 ). He
is no , howe e , he i s w i e speci ically o link memo y and he Ac opolis oge he ;
in
one
o
his las w i ings, «A Dis u bance
o
Me no y
on
he Ac opolis»,
F eud
in es iga es he na u e
o
«de ealiza ion
,»
a de ense mecha i
sm
by which we ca ego ize
a piece o eali y as s ange, some hing we a e anxious o keep ou
o
ou egos. In his
«le e ,» F eud ela es his inc eduli y ha he Ac opolis eally exis s: «Inc eduli y
o
his kind is ob iously an a emp o epudia e a piece
o
eali y» (242). He inds ha
h ough de ealiza ion he is ying
o
epudia e a eali y
he
knows will b ing
joy
and
insigh . The Ac opolis becomes a
n
e apho o a displaced pas doub o memo y
o
doub . F eud's expe ience on he Ac opolis «culmina ed in a
di
s u bance
o
memo y
anda
alsi ica ion
o
he pas » (246), a de ealiza ion, h ough ea , ha p o ec s agains ,
bu ul i na ely p e en s, insigh . The Names opens simila ly, wi h Ax on commen ing,
«Fo a long ime I s ayed away o n he Ac opolis.
I
daun ed me, ha sombe ock»
(3). Whe he o no DeLillo was awa e
o
F eud's expe ience, i helps us o unde s and
why Ax on, a man who has been in A hens o
o e a
yea , has a oided he Ac opolis:
«The weigh and momen o hose wo ked s ones p omised o make he busine
ss
o
seeing hem a complica ed one. So much con e ges he e.
l '
s wha we' e escued
om he madness. Beau y, digni
y,
o de , p opo ion. The e a e obliga ions a ached o
such a isi » (3). Ax on's de ea
li
za ion and i s escuing
o
o de om madness a e
keeping him away om in imacy, in imacy wi h beau y, digni y, o de , p opo ion: in
o he wo ds, acco ding o DeLillo, wha makes us human.
The sha e ed s ones
o
he Ac opolis, as
i
ums ou , con ain cul u al memo y.
Acco ding o DeLillo
in
Mao
/l
, i is memo y as a eposi o y
o
meaning ha e o ism
seeks o des oy h ough i s a acks on innocen peopl
e:
Maybe ha was i . When you in lic punishmen on someone who is no
guil y, when you ill ooms wi h innocen ic ims,
yo
u begin o emp y he wo ld
o meaning and
e ec a
sepa a e men al s a e, he mind consuming wha 's ou side
i se
l
, eplacing eal hings wi h plo s and ic ions. One ic ion aking he wo ld
na owly in o i sel , he o he ic ion pushing
ou
owa d he social o de , ying
o un old in o i . (200)
A Dis u bance
o
Memo y: Language, Te o
and
In imacy in Don Delil/o's The Names
351
The cinema ic me apho
o
p ojec ing meaning ou on o he blank sc een
o
he
wo ld is once again e iden he e.
An
d he use
o
language o c ea ing shee plo s and
ic ions
is
he e o
o
he supposedly nameless cul in The Names. They employ
names hemsel es, he eposi o ies
o
sa e y, o de , and meaning, as he ins umen
o
e o ,
o
dea h, and
o
chaos. The ic ion, he plo , ha hey y o push ou in o lhe
social a de is ha he e is a special meaning
in
he co espondence
o
a pa icula
pe son 's ini ials wi h he ini ials
o
a pa icula place, enough o make ha pe son quali y
as a ic im
o
he cul . A highly a bi a y signi ie /signi ied ela ionship
is
p esen ed as
he es ablishmen
o
a eali y. This ela ionship, which equa es he need o a de wi h
e o i sel , con adic s he e y no ion
o
a con olling o de . As DeLillo's Owen
B ademas, an a cheologis who specializes
in
s udying he alphabe , ema ks o Ax on:
These killings mock us. They mock ou need o s uc u e and classi y, o
build a sys em agains he e o
in
ou souls. They
make
he sys em equal o he
e o . The means o con end wi h dea h has become dea h. (308)
The making
o
meaning, he means
o
pu ing o
o
co e ing up he undamen-
al e o
o
he wo ld, becomes, in he hands
o
he cul , ano he way
o
p omo ing
dea h. I onically, he cul , h ough hei p omo ion
o
e o and dea h, is seeking a
means
o
in imacy: hei desi e o kill is he e y hing ha keeps he indi idual membe s
o
he cul oge he as a g oup. They a e people who ha e a common pu pose. This is
a pe e sion
o
he in imacy ha Ax on himsel has been unable o ace
in
his own li e
and his in ol emen wi h he places and people a ound him.
As a sys e n
o
s abili y, as a ba ie agains ha ing o
<leal
wi h e o on a pe so-
nal as well as a polí ica! le el, Ax on clings o he cliched no ion
o
he Ame ican as
ou is in a mul ina ional wo ld. «I
go
e e ywhe e wice. Once o ge he w ong
imp ession, once o s eng hen i » (255). Fo knowledge implies in imacy, and once
in i nacy is achie ed, he ca ego y
o
ou is disappea s. Ax on is well awa e
o
his
powe
o
knowledge o b ing in imacy:
1 began o hink
o
mysel as a pe ennial ou is . The e was so ne hing
ag eeable abou his.
To
be a ou is is o escape accoun abili y. You' e able
o
d i ac oss con inen s and languages, suspending he ope a ion
o
sound hough .
Tou ism is he ma ch
o
s upidi y. You' e expec ed
o
be
s upid
...
being s upid is
he pa em, he le e! and he no m
...
I was happy no knowing. 1 wan ed o
p ese e he su p ise in
an
opaque medium. This happened nany imes in la ge
and small ways. A hens
wa
s my legal home bu I wasn ' eady o gi e up ou ism,
e en he e. (43-44)
Pa adoxically, pa ems such as «being s upid,» epe i ions ha con ain he iUusion
o
con ol, also con ain wha DeLillo calls he «Su p ise»
o
ou ine. Fo pa
o
being
352 B uce
M.
Ga enby
a ou is , o no knowing a place, is o be con inually su p ised by i : «My li e
was
ull
o
ou ine su p ises. One day 1 was wa ching unne s om Ma a hon dodge axis
nea
he A hens Hil on, he nex 1 was uming a come in Is anbul o see a gypsy
leading
a
bea on a leash» (43). Wi hou connec ion, wi hou in imacy, and caugh in a
ou ine
ha only looks o wa d o he nex su p ise ha i sel iola es ( hen becomes a
pa
o )
he ou ine, Ax on's li e is he li e
o he
pe ennial ou is ,
«Wi
h no hing o hink
abou
bu he nex shapeless e en » (44).
The eal su p ise is ha , in his disconnec ed wo ld
o
pa em and epe i ion,
e o i sel has become commonplace: «The e had been
o e
i e housand e o is
inciden s in he las decade. Kidnappings we e ou ine business. Ransom eques s
o
i e million dolla s we e no unusual.
In
his decade a qua e
o
a billion
dolla s
in
ansom money had been paid o e o is s» (46). Making his li ing om his si ua ion,
Ax on wo ks
as
a isk analys ; his boss, Geo ge Rowse , uses
he
in o ma ion
Ax on
ga he s h ough his a els o con ince insu ance companies
o
p o ide ansom insu ance
o execu i es who could be a ge s
o
kidnappings and ex o ion a emp s. I onically,
ha ing ansom insu ance makes an execu i e an e en mo e likely a ge o e o is s,
since hey know he company will pay. Fo Ax on, who has always wo ked eelance,
wo king o Rowse o e s he sa e y
o
ou ine in a way ha also seems o «manage»
e o :
«I'd
ha e a s eady
job,
an o ice, a sec e a y, a schedule and
clea -cu
esponsibili ies» (49). Te o has become me ely ano he cos o be ac o ed
in
o
Ame icans doing business o e seas and i onically, he shaky ounda ion o
Ax
on
's
supposedly s able employmen . In he wo ld
o
in e na ional co po a ions and ca els,
e o has been subdued and codi ied.
Pa ems, ou ines, connec ions a e he g ids ha human beings impose on
chaos
o p o ide he illusion
o
a de and sa e y. Benea h he pa em, howe e , is he da kness
o
a non-codi iable e o . Acco ding o Owen B ademas, a nigh , « he hings
o
he
wo ld
a e
no longe disc e e. All he day's laye s and dis inc ions ade in he da k.
Nigh is con inuous»
(81
).
Wha iola es he au ho i y
o
pa em is ha some hing always
comes along ha dis up s he pa em, ha is no pa
o
he pa em. No ma e
how
comple e a pal em may seem o be, he e is always a su p ise g owing ou
o he
ou ine
sys em, a iola ion
o
ou ine ha poin s ou he incomple eness
o
he pa em.
So
a
new pa em is cons uc ed ha assimila es he su p
i
se in o a new ou ine. Bu ul ima ely,
only nigh , e o , chaos a e con inuous, always he e
o
un a el he ca e ully cons uc ed
s uc u es
o
dayligh and sa e y.
The cul 's « andom» killings poin o a e ela ion
o
he powe
o
chaos
and
e o in The Names,
o
cou se,
bu
in
Ax on's wo ld e en e o i sel can become
ou ine, codi iable, pa
o
he pa em. I is Owen,
Lhe
mas e o languages, who sugges s
ha he e is sense, meaning, pa em behind he killings, and Ax on, unable o unwilling
o become in ima e wi h he places and people in his own li e, s ill is caugh in a ques
o disco e wha ha meaning is. Somehow, i
is
in ima ely connec ed wi h he
cu
l 's
in e es in he alphabe .
A Disw bance
o
Memo y: Language, Te o
and
ln imacy in Don Delillo
's
The Names
353
Acco ding o DeLillo, Janguage is he medium we use o make he connec ions,
o cons uc he pa e ns ha gi e meaning o ou Ii es.
Ye
language unc ions
as
a hin
enee o co e he ac ha «nigh is con inuous.»
l
e en unc ions as wha
he
me apho ically calls «one-sen ence s o ies»:
AH
hese places we e one-sen ence s o ies o us. Someone would u n
up
,
u e a sen ence abou oo -long liza ds
in
his ho el oom in Niamey, and his
became he solid ma e
o
he place, he means we used o
ix
i
in
ou minds.
The sen ence was e ec i e, o e shadowing deepe ea s,
he
si ancies, a i e
disquie . (94)
Bu
hese one-sen ence s o ies a e no ep esen a i e
o
he place, no do hey
succeed in con aining he e o
o he
unknown. Ax on, o example, always Iies o his
concie ge abou whe e he is going:
Bu
he Iies began o wo y me
...
he e was some hing me aphysically
dis u bing abou hem. A g a e misplacemen . They we e no simple bu complex.
Wha was I ampe ing wi h, he human ai h in naming, he li elong sys em
o
images in Niko's b ain? I was lea ing behind in he pe son o he concie ge an
eno mous disc epancy be ween my u e ed joumey and he ac ual mo emen s 1
made in he ex e na! wo ld, a ou - housand-mile ic ion, a deep lie. (103)
By ampe ing wi h « he human ai h in naming,» Ax on's lies and he cul 's
mu de s e eal he a bi a y ela ionship be ween he wo ld and he wo ds wi h which
we a emp o ep esen! i . Ou pa e ns, ou ou ines, a e incapable o o de ing chaos
and e o because he e y medium hey a e cons uc ed
o
is uns able and a bi a y.
Fo DeLillo, language, pa em, ou ine a e, a bes , agmen a y and incomple e s uc u es
o
s abili y.
Bu hey a e also ali we ha e o use in o de o cons uc meaning
in
ou li es.
The meaning
o he
p esen , acco ding o DeLillo, is buil upon how we e bally a ange
hc agmen s
o
he pas . Th ough pa em, h ough connec ion, he pas can communica e
o he p esen ; only
in
ha sense «one age speaks o ano he » (80). In e p e a ion,
epc i ion
o
meaning, plays a key ole in DeLillo's no ion
o
in imacy, in imacy wi h
bo h he p esen and he pas . Ax on comes o belie e in he powe
o
memo y o
connec he pas and he p esen ,
o
gi e meaning o li e. Looking back on wha he's
been h ough and he people h
e's
known, he says:
These a e among he people
I' e
ied o know wice, he second ime in
memo y and language. Th ough hem, mysel . They a e wha
I' e
become, in
ways I don
'
unde s and bu which I belie e will acc ue o a ounded u h, a
second li e
o me
as
well
as
o hem. (329)