White Noise Chapter 17 Summary

  • While talking in bed, Jack tells Babette that one of his daughters, Bee, will be coming to visit them.
  • The next day, Denise confronts her mother about the drugs she's been taking. Babette acts like she doesn't recognize the name Dylar, and the conversation quickly turns to other topics. Everyone in the family starts jumping in and listing random facts about the world that may or may not be true.
  • The family goes to a supermarket, where Jack runs into a guy from campus. The other guy is surprised to see Jack without his dark glasses. But Jack says he only wears them at work. The other guy hopes that Jack doesn't take offense, but says that Jack looks like a harmless, indistinct sort of person when he's not at work.
  • We can tell the comment makes Jack insecure, because when Jack feels insecure, he likes to shop. So that's what he does after running into his work colleague. The shopping calms him and gives him a sense of purpose, like a religious experience.