The story Videotape by Don DeLillo portrays the brutal murder of a man that was not only witnessed by video, but by the eyes of a young child. DeLillo excellently delivers this scene in his writing by using descriptive vocabulary, strong characterization, and a narrative focused sentence structure. The author uses an unusual writing style to portray the story by having an opinionated narrator giving commentary on the events unfolding. The short sentences with abrupt meaning help to gain tension and excitement in the piece. The narrator being a person also helps to add a level of depth and character to the writing unachievable without a human narration to the story. All of these elements help to create a chilling and engaging story that shocks readers and demonstrates the author's creative storytelling. 

Videotape is a very short story written by Don DeLillo. It begins with a narrator describing the contents of a chilling video, as well as the reaction and feeling it causes. As the story continues, more information comes to light about the events of the videotape. It begins with a young girl holding a video camera, innocently taping a driver on the road from the back windshield of her parent's car. The child's imagination and perception of the world are called into play in this piece, as she makes this simple taping into an exciting sort of childish game. The narrator tells it as a learning experience for the child, "you know about families and their video cameras. You know how kids get involved, how the camera shows them that every subject is potentially charged, a million things they never see with the unaided eye"(DeLillo 59). The child had to see what the driver was doing, learning everything she could from his every action. The driver of the other car gives a small wave of acknowledgement to the girl as a sign of his recognition of being watched. He proceeds to slow down a bit, giving a little space in between his car and the little girl's parent's vehicle. Suddenly, all the built up tension gained throughout the story is released in one jaw dropping moment as a gunman pulls up beside the man's vehicle, takes out a gun, and shoots him in the head. The driver simply slumps over dead to one side, and drifts off to the side of the road. The amazing thing about this video, the story explains, is how this little girl manages to film this man's life end, and continue filming without hesitation. As it so happened in the story, this was the tenth or eleventh murder committed by the Texas Highway Killer. It was caught on tape by a little girl, and widespread throughout the media for all to see.

This story gives the reader a few messages. First it hints at the fact that technology and media are ruining our sense of right and wrong, as people have been viewing this bloody murder for entertainment over and over in the story. "Seeing someone at the moment he dies, dying unexpectedly. This is reason alone to stay fixed to the screen." (DeLillo 63). He continues by explaining how the video also shows the harsh truth that any breath you take truly could be your last, that life ends suddenly and there's no coming back. The reader could also conclude from earlier in the story that the writer was attempting to create a commentary on childish innocence and how it is being corrupted by the older generation. "She wandered into it. The girl got lost and wandered clear-eyed into horror. This is a children's story about straying too far from home. But it isn't the family car that serves as the instrument of the child's curiosity, her inclination to explore. It is the camera that puts her in the tale." (DeLillo 61). Whatever message the reader concludes from this story, it does not hide the sort of chilling horror you get from a story that could just as well be true.

This piece wouldn't have nearly the amount of tension and draw to the reader if it weren't for the writing style. The story starts out choppy, like ideas being scribbled down on paper as they come into mind. It is as if the narrator is giving the reader his interpretation of the events in the video as he sees it rather than how it truly is. This style of writing builds suspense, engaging the reader and drawing them into the story in a way only possible with a narrator with a human perspective. As the story continues, the narrator also begins to become more humanized. It finally ends with the reader knowing the narrator as a man, with a wife named Janet, whom he shows the video to from the news. By having this story being told by a humanized narrator, the writer leaves it open to being described and opinionated in the piece. During the whole span of the story the narrator analyzes the girl, the driver, and the horror of the scene. By adding opinion of top of description, the writer could change this piece from simply a short story into a tension-building horror. The narrator also speaks to the reader as if he is telling the reader the story himself. He describes the events taking place, then responds by asking the reader rhetorical questions, helping to draw the reader in.

The characters in this story are in as little description as possible. The only character description is that of the driver who is killed. "It shows a man in his forties wearing a pale shirt open at the throat, the image washed by reflections and sunglint, with many jostled moments." (DeLillo 60). Besides that, important characters like the little girl, the gunman, the parents, and even the narrator are left out. The reason this appears, is to leave more room for imagination to the reader. By not explaining what they look like, what time everything is happening, and leaving many other details out, it lets the reader chose how they will see the piece more freely. The camera itself in this story seems to have some sort of personification, as if it is simply an extension of the child filming it. Rather than referring to reactions and movements of the girl to the scene, the author described them as reactions from the camera. "The way the camera reacts to the gunshot- a startle reaction that brings pity and terror into the frame, the girl's own shock, the girl's " (DeLillo 62). This makes the video seem more relevant, more human. Rather than just a film of a tragic scene, it is the horror that was seen through the eyes of a child. The reader can imagine what the girl saw, and how this video will last forever, just like how it will stay forever in the child's eyes.

Videotape uses many literary techniques, as well as descriptive details to create a provocative and engaging story. Everything from the details of the characters, to the format of the writing help to enhance the story and give it more depth. The narrator being humanized helps to engage the reader in the events of the story, and makes a more realistic and relatable piece. The story tackles things like childhood innocence and the reality of the shortness of life. Without all of these aspects in the writing, the story would be much less meaningful and interesting to the reader.

