Subjectivity and death in the time of ecological devastation in Don DeLillo’s Zero k

Abstract EN

The culture of death denial is the consequence of the human desire for progress that strives to surmount all its vulnerabilities, including death.

accordingly, humans have exploited and harmed the resources of planet earth for the sake of economic and technological growth.

therefore, any change in human behavior with regards to the natural world must start from a reconsideration of human-centeredness.

in this vein, Don Delillo’s Zero K engages with transhumanist, post humanist and postmodern views of subjectivity in an attempt to formulate an answer to the current environmental issues.

thus, this study analyzes zero k from Jean baudrillard’s perspective on the death denial that typifies modern western culture.

in addition, the analysis focuses on baudrillard’s notion of the hyperreal and his understanding of urban life as detrimental to the ecological and societal systems.

in the novel, a nonhuman vision of the world is depicted as a viable response to these dilemmas.