In the story Videotape by Don DeLillo, a little girl records a tragic accident on camera. While traveling down the highway a twelve-year-old girl records a man in a car beside her, and the man proceeds to wave at the girl. Next, while recording the man is shot and killed. The girls' video is put all over the news, a man sees the video and even insists that his wife come and watch it also. In the story DeLillo is trying to argue that people have become obsessed with violence, they like to see real violence and witness it more than believed. In order to portray this theme DeLillo uses imagery and symbolism. 

The videoing of the man begins as something not out of the ordinary for a child to do, but once the shooting occurs is when it becomes strange. "He is shot, headshot, and the camera reacts, the child reacts there is a jolting movement but she keeps on taping " (DeLillo 62). A typical twelve year old that witnesses a murder would not react in such a way that this little girl did and continue to videotape what was occurring, but she did. This shows that people have devolved a fascination with seeing freak accidents. The little girl was very intrigued with the situation at hand and she seemed more interested in getting it on video and witnessing rather than bursting into emotions. Through the girl's reaction, DeLillo is saying that the girl has become so accustomed to violence that while witnessing it, she is not as shocked as a twelve year old from long ago. Once the video was displayed on the news, viewers also wanted to see it over and over. The man watching it on the news is so interested that he also wants his wife to see it, "Hurry up Janet, here it comes" (DeLillo 62). This builds on the argument that people are becoming even more obsessed with violence and seeing it. The man is so drawn in by seeing this event that he rushes his wife in so that she doesn't miss it. People in today's time have become so accustomed to seeing violence on the news day in and day out that they are either not affected or want them and those around them to see it. The role of technology has greatly increased our exposure to the violence and tragedy occurring in today's time, and this has lead to our exposure and ability to endure them. 

The imagery throughout Videotape helps to portray the violence and tragedy that DeLillio is trying to display. After the gun is fired, the author gives a vivid account to the reader in order to show the magnitude of the situation. He describes it as, "You don't see the blood, which is probably trickling behind his ear down the back of his neck. The way his head is twisted away from the door, the twist of the head gives you only a partial profile and it's the wrong side, and it's the side where he was hit." (DeLillo 62). By using this imagery, DeLillo can also translate his argument that people have become obsessed and accustomed to the everyday occurrence of violence. The violence in the story is displayed in the story in such a gruesome manner with the use of imagery. DeLillo chooses to use such powerful language because he wants the reader to see how dramatic the situation was; yet the man in the story still wants to watch the video along with his wife. Therefore, I believe that part of DeLillo's argument is that the bigger and worse the tragedy is, the more that people want to see it, and watch it over and over. People in today's time hear about this all the time, yet when they can actually see it, they want to watch it until they are no longer interested. I believe that the author is somewhat concerned about how people see these events and do not have problems watching them and want others to see them, Rather than responding in overcoming emotion and becoming terrified. By using imagery throughout the story, DeLillio is able to show how people have become tolerant of accidents of such great magnitude. 

Symbolism is also a major element used by DeLillo in order to get his theme across to the reader. The narrator of the story symbolizes a person who is making violence seem like less than it is. The narrator presents it as, "Seeing someone at the moment he dies, dying unexpectedly. This is reason alone to stay fixed on the screen. It is instructional, watching a man shot dead as he drives along on a sunny day" (DeLillo 63). This quote symbolizes the narrators lack of emotion to the tragic video that he has just watched take place. DeLillo uses the attitude and personality of the narrator in order to translate the growing norm and acceptance of tragedies. The little girl is also a major symbol in the story. The twelve-year-old girl symbolizes the youth of today's time that has become accustomed to tragedy and accidents. The girl's actions when she records the shooting are shocking yet she continues to shoot the events. I believe that DeLillo is using the girls action to symbolize how the youth of today have witnessed so many bad things that youth did not witness in the past. In the story, it says that that this was the twelfth time that this has happened, which also feeds on the point that DeLillo is saying that crimes and these freak accidents are occurring too frequently. The multitude of these occurrences and the reaction of the public are symbolized throughout the story with the actions of the man watching it on television and the girl's actions while recording. 

There is a lot that the reader can take from the story Videotape by Don DeLillo. However, DeLillio's argument stating that growing rise of violence and the tolerance of those witnessing it seems to trump all other underling meanings. In the short story, the author uses both imagery and symbolism in order to display the story and back his main argument. Without the use of these literary elements, it would have been more difficult for the author to show how bad the accident was, therefore making it more difficult for him to make his point on tragedy.  Videotape is a story that shows that times have changed and violence has become to great and people need to be scared and shocked rather than be accustomed to it and want to watch it. 

