Don DeLillo: Cosmopolis

Don DeLillo was born on November 20, 1936, in North Bronx, New Yor Cit!" #n
19$% he p&blishe' his novel White Noise, whi(h won him the National Boo )war' in 19$6"
*in(e then he has been re+ar'e' as one o, the most appre(iate' (ontemporar! a&thors,
be(a&se his wors show a vivi' 'epi(tion o, (ontemporar! so(iet! an' (&lt&re whi(h amon+
other themes in(l&'e the problems o, (ons&merism, the in,l&en(e o, te(hnolo+! an' me'ia
an' the 'esensiti-ation o, h&man bein+s"
Cosmopolis (enters aro&n' a m&lti.billionaire assets mana+er /ri( 0a(er an' his
1o&rne! ,rom one en' o, New Yor Cit! to the other, '&rin+ one 'a! in )pril 2000" 2he main
p&rpose o, this trip is to +et a hair(&t at a parti(&lar barbershop that his ,ather &se' to
,re3&ent" 4ost o, the time he travels in his limo&sine, whi(h is b&lletproo, an' e3&ippe' with
the latest te(hnolo+!, se(&rit! (ameras, n&mero&s (omp&ter monitors that show the rise an'
,all o, (&rren(ies, parti(&larl! the !en, an' television s(reens thro&+h whi(h the prota+onist
(an ,ollow all worl' o((&rren(es" 0a(er leaves the limo&sine onl! on ,ew o((asions, ,or
example when he has brea,ast with his new, alrea'! estran+e' wi,e or when he meets one o,
his lovers at a hotel" 5&rthermore, he is a man that ,ollows the philosoph! o, a t!pi(al 6all
*treet billionaire, that ever!thin+ is manip&late' b! the maret" 2here,ore, when he witnesses
a riot, '&rin+ whi(h a man immolates himsel,, somethin+ that is 7o&tsi'e the rea(h8 o, the
maret, he starts to 'o&bt his belie,s an' ,a(e' with realit!, (ontin&es on a 1o&rne! towar's
his 'own,all"
)s alrea'! mentione', the prota+onist o, the novel is a billionaire, whose main interest
is mone!, n&mbers an' (&rren(ies" 9e is the epitome o, a ri(h man who val&es onl! the
material an' hi'es in the virt&al worl' o, te(hnolo+! an' 7(!ber.(apital8" )s s&(h, one (o&l'
sa! he is also 'evoi' o, emotions" 9e 7hi'es8 in the limo&sine, whi(h (o&l' be &n'erstoo' as
a 7virt&al8 worl' o, its own that 'oes not belon+ to realit! b&t onl! pro1e(ts it on the s(reens,
an' be(omes 'esensiti-e', that is, &nable to per(eive people:s ,eelin+s" 2his is not onl! visible
in the (onversation with others, ,or example in the en(o&nters with his wi,e, '&rin+ whi(h he
'oes not show interest in her li,e or ,eelin+s, b&t also in his inner monolo+&es, whi(h mostl!
revolve aro&n' the !en, material possessions or his sex&al nee's" 2here,ore, when he is
(on,ronte' with 7realit!8 '&rin+ the riot, he starts to 'o&bt the totalit! an' sa,et! o, the
7virt&al8 worl'" Be(a&se o, this he slowl! loses his i'entit!, as he is ,or(e' to ,a(e realit! as it
is, witho&t the possibilit! to ,in' (om,ort in the 'estro!e' worl' he (reate'"
)ltho&+h there are several themes present in this short novel, the most apparent are
power whi(h 'erives ,rom mone! an' te(hnolo+! that (onstr&(ts virt&al realities" #n to'a!:s
so(iet! it is +enerall! per(eive' that havin+ a lot o, mone! e3&als power" ;n one han', when
one:s worl' is base' on the abstra(t (on(ept o, mone! it means livin+ in a 7sheltere'8 worl'
in a sense that one (an b&! almost ever!thin+ one nee's" ;n the other han', it also means
livin+ in a 7,ra+ile8 worl', where mone! 'e,ines a person:s i'entit! an' the loss o, it means
not onl! the loss o, power, b&t also the (ollapse o, one:s i'entit!" Conne(te' to this is also
the relian(e on te(hnolo+!" 2he more mone! one possesses, the better te(hnolo+! one (an
a(3&ire" 9owever, as m&(h as te(hnolo+! (an improve people:s lives, rel!in+ too m&(h on it
(reates bo&n'aries that separate people ,rom realit! an' ,or(es them, in a wa!, to live in a
7virt&al8 worl'" )s a res&lt, people rather live in the worl' the! (reate' an' with time the!
be(ome in(apable to express an' 'e,ine themselves witho&t 7hi'in+ behin' the mas8 o,
te(hnolo+!"
Lastl!, in his novel, DeLillo has 'es(ribe' both a (ontemporar! an' ,&t&risti( &rban
so(iet!" 2his is a so(iet! whi(h is t&rb&lent, mone!.'riven an' 'epen'ent on te(hnolo+!,
where real val&es s&(h as h&man (ompassion, love, an' &n'erstan'in+ seem to be obsolete
(on(epts" 9owever, this ima+e o, (it! so(iet! seems to be (omin+ (loser to the tr&th as time
passes, espe(iall! in bi+ (ities as New Yor, an' it is there,ore eas! to ima+ine that the ,i(tion
o, Cosmopolis ma! one 'a! be(ome o&r realit!"