With so much to discuss in this book, I can’t help but lean towards DeLilo’s impression of children throughout the novel. At times, they are the sublime image of the way things ought to be, as on pg 154 where J.A.K. was drawn to watch his sleeping children. Just the image of his children brought him peace despite his impending death by computer.
Other times there is a more sinister aspect to the children and their actions. Heinrich makes pronunciations that are chilling in their accuracy and in their gruesome descriptions. His depth of knowledge is unsettling at times, especially compared with the ignorance that is displayed by the adults; especially the academics. The children all seem possessed not only of a greater knowledge than the adults, but also of strength of character that gives them a greater presence than their parents. For example, J.A.K.’s daughter, Bee, is able to make cross-continental plane trips and make deeply insightful remarks into her parent’s marriage, while her mother and father are incapable of communication.
As it is written on page 103, "Make no mistake. I take these children seriously. It is not possible to see too much in them, to overindulge your casual gift for the study of character. It is all there, in full force, charged waves of identity and being. There are no amateurs in the world of children."
With this back and forth, I am sometimes at a loss for exactly how DeLilo wishes children to be seen. Maybe they are something to be feared. With J.A.K.’s fear of death, cannot the children, with their seemingly depthless knowledge, be only one more constant reminder of his looming death? There is a distance between him and the children is not something that grows, it is a constant. From the beginning, despite the numerous "family activities", it is always as if J.A.K. is watching his children. Their connection to the television and the radio make them almost a spectacle to be viewed. The fact that much of what they say is an exact repetition of what is on the television may be more of a commentary on the media than on the kids. But the children are always being viewed by the parents, almost spied upon.
In true postmodern spirit, the children are part of the paranoia that is so present in the novel. With their superiority, they are just one more part of the hierarchy that is represented, but not necessarily understood. The hardest part about this is making an argument one way or the other; partly because of some of the contradictions that exist in the book. J.A.K. thinks that staring at his daughters is a sublime while the thought of staring at Heinrich is slightly unsettling. Yet J.A.K. is so happy to spend time with Wilder that even when the child is screaming (because of…insert here-pain, despair, discomfort, fear, misunderstanding, perhaps just plain pissed off) he can be at peace. Ah, the contradictions that signify postmodernism. Children may be the future, but beware the future. This idea could be good or evil depending on how you want to look at it. In my mind, I side with the kids. As long as most of the adults act like Babette and J.A.K., I would rather put my faith in children. They are the most human characters. They display their fear, like Denise does. They are intelligent and remember the things they are taught, like Heinrich. Even in their despair, they seem to learn form it, as is implied after Wilder’s 7 hour fit. While DeLilo is ambiguous in his presentation of children, I think this is partly because he does sense the future in them. They are human, they are flawed, and that is safe! If anybody has seen "The Hudsucker Proxy", I see that as a good comparison. Norville Barnes is childlike on so many levels, and his invention is perceived as insane by the other adults. The only one who gets it is the boy who discovers the hula-hoop rolling on the street. And thus the craze started (at least according to the Coen Brothers).
"There are no amateurs in the world of children." No matter what, the kids seem to understand, or at least have the ability to learn. So like the Bible, maybe DeLilo feels that children are what the world will be built on.