Humans, despite what we think are among the cruelest species on the earth.  Now it is not our fault, it is just in our nature.  No work can show this better then "Videotape" by Don DeLillo.  Millions of people watch the murder of an innocent man driving down the highway, but why? The fact is that humans are drawn to things that are real because they captivate our mind.  Though the usage of literary devices DeLillo brings out the meaning of how humans as a society are cruel, however the interpretation of why we are cruel becomes all to shocking at second look.

Don DeLillo creates multiple tones throughout the story to show the horrid murder, which just so happens to be recorded by an innocent little girl.  As the story opens, there is suspense in the eyes of viewers watching the videotape. The suspense as regular people watch must be incredible: "You keep on looking not because you know something is going to happen- of course you now something is going to happen" (DeLillo 60).  You keep watching because it is relevant to us because it could have happened to any one of the people on the highway that day. This first tone brings out an overarching meaning that society can be violent at times and no one is safe.  No matter how untouchable you think you are, it could have just as easily been you driving being the little girl with the video camera. The suspense keeps the viewer glued to the TV wanting to see what twist it takes: "You say, Janet, hurry up, this is where it happens" (DeLillo 61).  This last quote after being dug into told me the interpretation that DeLillo is getting at: which is that humans are naturally cruel. They secretly are attached to terrible acts of violence's like this one because of our nature as people. In this way these viewers who are getting entertainment from a guy dying are putting themselves on the same level of the killer.  

As the video unfolds the tone switches from suspense to that of horror.  When viewers see a murder happen to a random driver being recorded by a 12-year-old innocent girl the suspense is over.  The horror described on camera is unbelievable, however DeLillo I'm sure would like to point out the one constant throughout the story. That even though there is horror, no one turns off the movie and stops watching. This calls for another example of the interpretation that humans are evil.  Not just for committing this crime, but for promoting the acts of violence.  By making the video famous and millions watching it, it encourages these types of actions.  The tone of realness sets in by this point stating that this is no movie, no joke and someone's life actually did just end. The video is so real that it entices the viewers to keep watching. Which contributes to the evilness of the video.  This adds to the meaning that despite the viewers knowing it is a real life being taken, they are too cruel to turn away and stop watching.  All these different tones are the mixed feelings people are having as they are watching this surreal video. They are completely encompassed by this tragedy, but they cannot do anything to pull themselves away from the tape. When the three tones are combined the interpretation that human nature is cruel as we are captivated by things that are so real they cannot be reproduced by any filmmaker becomes clear. 

Since the story is about a videotape, the imagery DeLillo can create is amazing.  This imagery is vital in allowing the reader to get a clear interpretation of how cruel human nature really is, the meaning DeLillo is trying to get at.   As the girl starts out the video she focuses on a guy driving behind her showing what he looks likes.  The driver is portrayed as an average man that is driving down the road. He has no idea what is about to hit him which is scary for everyone who is watching because they have to think this is the risk everyone takes just waking up: "It demonstrates an elemental truth, that every breath you take has two possible endings" (DeLillo 63). This quote can show the mentality of the reader as they interpret it.  One viewer can be positive and say that this is a freak accident, which does not affect me because the chances of it occurring to me is so slim. On the other hand most commonly taken, is one of negativity and resulting in people deciding to turn their back on society because they are afraid of something like this occurring to them.  It is this second negative interpretation, which DeLillo is trying to point out as being the real human nature.  We as people for the most part are scared of todays society and will turn our back on it in an instance if something bad happens, when in reality they should be rallying together to overcome such acts of terrorism on society. 

 After he is shot, the tape doesn't show any blood which leaves the imagery up to interpretation for a second time. The narrator has his own version that is not a pleasant image to say the least: "You don't see the blood, which is probably trickling being his ear and down the back of his neck" (DeLillo 60).  It is quotes like these that DeLillo uses that allow him to get the meaning across.  The viewer again, could be positive and say that there is no blood to create a more peaceful image for the people listening.  However, for a second time they choose to describe it will surreal violence and negativity. This gets across the point that humans are very cruel and very often tend to be negative when it could be so simple to rally and be positive.  The imagery grabs the reader's attention by showing how negative particular humans can be by doing such horrible acts of violence.  Not only that, but it gets across a particular interpretation to the reader when these quotes are further inspected that along with the violent people who commit these acts, viewers of these wrongdoings are just as cruel. They negatively support violence's by not being able to turn away, and letting the bad people get the best of them by thinking negatively and defeated after atrocities like this one.  Through DeLillo wonderful use of imagery, the interpretation of how negative and cruel humans really are becomes apparent.  

Word choice in a sentence can change the way a reader interprets the work.  In particular, there are two uses of the word shot which portrays cameras and guns as the same negative thing: "They will shoot you sitting on the pot if they can manage a suitable vantage" (DeLillo 60).  This is talking about cameras and how people use them to capture things if they get a good view.  Then when the videotape is on TV, people are watching it just waiting for the innocent person to be shot: "The tape has been running forever and now the thing is finally going to happen and you want her to be here when he's shot" (DeLillo 61).  No one ever thinks of cameras as a bad thing, but this correlation between the camera and the gun made by word choice shows the camera can be used just as negative as a gun.  Cameras capture bad things done by guns so in a way they are "shooting" the same thing.  This word choice is key for the understanding of the work because it ties the connection between cameras and guns which is a major point DeLillo is tying to make in the short story.

How can it be explained that millions of viewers can watch the murder of an innocent man?  Through the use of tone, imagery and word choice the reader's meaning of why in the "Videotape" by Don DeLillo is greatly influenced. It is obvious that he is getting at that point of humans being just as bad as the people who commit crimes, because we can not turn away from them and promote them so much.  What is not so obvious of an interpretation that was made clear is that humans are not just cruel for watching it, but for succumbing to the negativity of violence and word choice.  DeLillo is stating through these literary devices that America could be a much better place if everyone just took the positive route to not let the bad things bring us down as they all too often do.  He isn't blaming us for this view, he is just encouraging us to approach acts of wrongdoing with a little more mindset that the glass is half full instead of half empty.

