There are 24 hours in a day, which means there are 24 hours of life at risk.  At any moment, anytime, and regardless of the person, life can be taken.  With life so precious, every minute becomes valuable.  Each moment can be the last moment and life can end so unexpectedly.  Don Delillo expresses this as the central theme of "Videotape".  This story emphasizes any breath taken can be the last breath and this means not everyone knows when they will die.  It can be a random time to an innocent person which is shown in the story within a story.  Readers will interpret this story and realize life is short and to live life to the fullest potential because life is unpredictable. Delillo uses foreshadow, setting and point of view to help readers understand not to take life for granted.

Before the story starts into the film the author describes family videos and the details of children filming videos.   This foreshadows  the film taped by the 12 year old girl in the car. The author talks about kids videotaping saying, "They investigate the meaning of inert objects and dumb pets and they poke at family privacy" (Delillo, 59). This explains the randomness of a film shot by a child and what they are seeing. In the video of the murder, the 12 year old girl films the video exactly how the text explains earlier: through a child's hands. Her videotaping is demonstrated when the author states, " You know how children with cameras work the exposed moments that define the family cluster" (Delillo, 60). The foreshadow to the home video makes the homicide more realistic, as if it could happen to anyone.  The diction Delillo uses when he says words such as "jostled" and "aimless" gives the reader a better picture of the home video being taped by a kid with unsteady hands just filming whatever she sees.  The story talks about what the video shows and describes what is being seen giving an allusion to a normal family car ride being filmed.  The repetition of emphasis on the innocent family car ride gives hint that maybe the normal family video won't be as normal as expected.  Proving the video is an average home video with un-average contents helps reiterate that life can be cut short and the unexpected can occur.  

The setting of this story is the narrator's living room with the tv turned on to the news  playing a video that has been seen everywhere.  The setting of this makes the reader interested because the narrator explains his feelings about what he's about to watch.  The narrator explaining how his wife has her programs and he has his yet he still calls her over to watch makes the reader want to continue reading because they do not watch the same shows and if he wants her to see its a rarity.  The setting is easy to imagine because the detail of it explains the man is at the end of his chair watching a video he knows the end to.  

The setting of the story within the story also helps to identify the theme of living life to the fullest.  The home video is shot in the car on a family car trip.  This pairs with the child filmer, helping to bring about the innocence of the film.  The car ride shows the family is on their way somewhere, they have an end in mind and the reader can tell it never crosses their mind that they may not make it to the destination. Delillo says, " It shows a man driving a car. It is the simplest sort of family video. You see a man at the wheel of a medium dodge" (Delillo, 59).  This can be pictured in the reader's mind because it explains the "family man" driving his kids where they need to be.  The innocence can also be picked up when it states, " he sees the girl and waves briefly, wagging a hand without taking it off the wheel-" (Delillo, 60), the family is just going about their day while the child films them, most likely out of boredom.  It seems simple, like a normal family day, because people don't often think of all the possibilities and the delicacy of life.  The fact that they are in the car represents the opportunities and potential to the life ahead of them.  The road could lead to anywhere and the family is on their way there.  Without knowing what was the end result in the news clipping it would not be expected that their journey would end right there on that very same day that the innocent girl wanted to see what life was like through the family camera.  The setting of both the story and the homicide video restate the innocence and unanticipated way of life. 

Point of view is also a key element in developing the theme of " Videotape".  The point of view of the story and the video both contribute to guiding the reader to understand not to take life for granted.  The story is told in first person by the male narrator who is highly interested in the show he is watching.  Having the story told from an outside viewer shows his experiences and his feelings towards what is about to be shown on television.  The narrator's suspense is passed to the reader and even though both know the end result they continue on to watch and read every detail.  First person also allows the reader to understand all the feelings of the different characters.  Because the narrator is watching the film he is able to comment on how the others are feeling as well as what he feels.  The narrator explains how this crime is different because it was filmed and that brings the repeated crime around him more real.  The same crime has been occurring but  everyone will think it would not happen to them.  The video proof of the innocent family driving along the highway confirms it can happen to anyone at anytime. It justifies the main theme that life can be cut short and each moment has to be sacred.  The point of view of the video is also an important aspect of this story because everyone who watches the video is aware that the video is being taped by a 12 year old girl. The viewer is always thinking about how the video is the vision of an innocent little girl which continues to contribute to the theme of how unexpectedly life can be taken as well as innocence, seen in the little girl.

Don Delillo uses foreshadow, setting, and point of view to portray the message to live in the moment and always be aware the any moment can be the last moment.  He uses multiple elements to all express the innocence and blindness of people affected by homicide. Delillo expresses life is taken for granted and people need to be more aware of the fact that life is short. 

