A disturbance of memory: language, terror and intimacy in Don Delillo 's “The names”

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)