Ethics of counter narrative in DeLillo’s falling man

Abstract

In his article “Ethics of Counter-Narrative in DeLillo’s Falling Man” Qingji He analyzes Don DeLillo’s counter-narrative in his post-9/11 novel Falling Man. He’s objective is to show how ethical dimensions function fundamentally in formulating an appropriate counter-narrative and why DeLillo’s counter-narrative echoes views expressed in his “In the Ruins of the Future.” He argues that DeLillo’s counter-narrative entails the necessity of ethical consciousness and responsibility. It is Giorgio Morandi’s still life paintings instead of media representation that become pivotal in Lianne’s transformative and redemptive process after the terrorist attack. Similarly, David Janiak’s performance art and Richard Drew’s picture of “The Falling Man” help her stand ethically apart from what happens and to disbelieve, acts which both Keith and the terrorist Hammad are incapable of.