White Noise

by

Don DeLillo

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Sister Hermann Marie Character Analysis

The German nun who treats Jack’s bullet wound in the Pentecostal hospital in Iron City. In the course of tending to his wrist, she reveals to Jack that she doesn’t actually believe in God, arguing that it is enough for others to think that she believes so that they don’t have to do so themselves.

Sister Hermann Marie Quotes in White Noise

The White Noise quotes below are all either spoken by Sister Hermann Marie or refer to Sister Hermann Marie. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Fear, Death, and Control Theme Icon
).
Chapter 39 Quotes

Our pretense is dedication. Someone must appear to believe. Our lives are no less serious than if we professed real faith, real belief. As belief shrinks from the world, people find it more necessary than ever that someone believe. Wild-eyed men in caves. Nuns in black. Monks who do not speak. We are left to believe. […] Hell is when no one believes. There must always be believers.

Related Characters: Sister Hermann Marie (speaker), Jack Gladney
Page Number: 304
Explanation and Analysis:
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Sister Hermann Marie Quotes in White Noise

The White Noise quotes below are all either spoken by Sister Hermann Marie or refer to Sister Hermann Marie. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Fear, Death, and Control Theme Icon
).
Chapter 39 Quotes

Our pretense is dedication. Someone must appear to believe. Our lives are no less serious than if we professed real faith, real belief. As belief shrinks from the world, people find it more necessary than ever that someone believe. Wild-eyed men in caves. Nuns in black. Monks who do not speak. We are left to believe. […] Hell is when no one believes. There must always be believers.

Related Characters: Sister Hermann Marie (speaker), Jack Gladney
Page Number: 304
Explanation and Analysis: