"White Noise" and Undocumented Workers

In class we recently wrapped up a book titled "White Noise" written by Don DeLillo. I've also been working on my junior theme which is about why American agriculture is so reliant on undocumented workers. After drowning in research and writing I began to see similarities between Babette, the main character's wife, and the current situation in America.

In "White Noise", Babette struggles with regimenting her own life style and she would constantly buy healthy foods and then through them out because she didn't want to eat them. Babette brings healthy foods into her home because she feels that she needs them. But then when there becomes an excess of these healthy foods she feels she no longer needs them and tries to get rid of them all but then realizes she still wants the healthy foods and repeats the cycle again.

This cycle of Babette is similar to America's attitude toward undocumented workers. In the 1940's America created the Bracero Program which encouraged Mexican workers to work for American employers. However the program ended in 1964 because of the "excess" of illegal immigrants. (PBS) America has welcomed and shut out immigrants in cycles and today we are shutting out immigrants. However Americans are discovering that we are dependent on illegal immigrants and shutting them out would cripple our agriculture industry, much like how Babette completely shutting out the healthy foods would cripple her self confidence.

Both America and Babette are not coming to terms with the realities of what they can achieve at the moment. Babette is not accepting that she does not incorporate healthy foodss. America is not accepting that it's domestic food production is reliant on undocumented workers.