Throughout Don DeLillo's Libra, Lee Harvey Oswald is depicted as someone who really, really wants to change the world (or more accurately, wants to have his own special place in history). He seems to have a never-desisting belief in some sort of destiny to have historical significance. Whether he is going to the Soviet Union, coming back to the United States, or trying to get into Cuba he always thinks he will be noticed because of his beliefs or his perceived specialness. However, DeLillo continually makes it clear to his readers that Lee, despite his unshakable belief in this destiny, is (seemingly) incompetent at having any historical impact (examples including his lack of useful intelligence when going to the Soviet Union and his one member charter in New Orleans).
The thing is, as readers we know Lee has a historical impact, which is the very reason Libra exists. So while we want to laugh off the character Lee's chances of being historically significant, we have to accept that he is ultimately correct in that he is special and historically significant. Despite his lack of real ability, Lee is involved with high-level government officials or world-shaking plotters (like Alek or Ferrie) for much of the novel. In some ways, Lee is a metafictional prophet whose prophecies about his historical significance only make sense to us readers who know his historical significance.
That being said, DeLillo does not try to make Lee more historically significant than he is. Rather he has made Lee out to be a historically insignificant person in all but his beliefs, and ends up minimizing Lee's historical significance. While he is not deluded about his historical significance, Lee is deluded in that he thinks he can be a hero and that he will become historically significant due to his groundbreaking ideals or some important master plan he initiated. Lee himself is less than enthused at the end of the novel for essentially acting as the fall guy in the JFK assassination plot. As readers and students of history, we pretty much only see Lee Harvey Oswald as significant because he is the notorious guy who shot JFK. We don't think about why Lee did it and imagine ways to minimize his role. By making Lee simply the fall guy in a plot that is much bigger than him, DeLillo takes away any initiative from Lee, thus minimizing his historical significance.
According to DeLillo, Lee Harvey Oswald is a generally incompetent guy whose bizarre ideology gets him the job of fall guy in the JFK assassination plot. Lee was correct throughout the novel in that he would end up doing something historical, but still turns out to be delusional because he can't see that he doesn't have what it takes to do something historical through his own (lack of) brilliance. In the end DeLillo has made an attempt to strip Lee of his historical significance and also tries to strip away much of the wonder of Lee Harvey Oswald by "revealing" this historical significance.
The thing is, as readers we know Lee has a historical impact, which is the very reason Libra exists. So while we want to laugh off the character Lee's chances of being historically significant, we have to accept that he is ultimately correct in that he is special and historically significant. Despite his lack of real ability, Lee is involved with high-level government officials or world-shaking plotters (like Alek or Ferrie) for much of the novel. In some ways, Lee is a metafictional prophet whose prophecies about his historical significance only make sense to us readers who know his historical significance.
That being said, DeLillo does not try to make Lee more historically significant than he is. Rather he has made Lee out to be a historically insignificant person in all but his beliefs, and ends up minimizing Lee's historical significance. While he is not deluded about his historical significance, Lee is deluded in that he thinks he can be a hero and that he will become historically significant due to his groundbreaking ideals or some important master plan he initiated. Lee himself is less than enthused at the end of the novel for essentially acting as the fall guy in the JFK assassination plot. As readers and students of history, we pretty much only see Lee Harvey Oswald as significant because he is the notorious guy who shot JFK. We don't think about why Lee did it and imagine ways to minimize his role. By making Lee simply the fall guy in a plot that is much bigger than him, DeLillo takes away any initiative from Lee, thus minimizing his historical significance.
According to DeLillo, Lee Harvey Oswald is a generally incompetent guy whose bizarre ideology gets him the job of fall guy in the JFK assassination plot. Lee was correct throughout the novel in that he would end up doing something historical, but still turns out to be delusional because he can't see that he doesn't have what it takes to do something historical through his own (lack of) brilliance. In the end DeLillo has made an attempt to strip Lee of his historical significance and also tries to strip away much of the wonder of Lee Harvey Oswald by "revealing" this historical significance.
I think we are also meant to empathize a little bit with Oswald, as he never gets his goal, a feeling relatable to us
ReplyDeleteI agree that by showing Lee has no initiation, he takes away a lot of his significance. I also think that DeLillo takes away his significance by showing Lee as a regular human being. This de-mystifies him and makes him seem more normal.
ReplyDeleteI really agree with this. I think that it is Oswald's self importance that puts him in a place to be turned into the fall man, he is so certain that everything he does must be important and affect history that it isn't surprising to him to be given the opportunity and he never seems to really consider that they might abandon him.
ReplyDeleteNice post! Historically, it is usually ideas that become famous, rather than people. For example, everyone knows a lot about Confucianism and its beliefs. However, most people know very little about Confucius himself. His ideas have become greater than him.
ReplyDeleteThis is really interesting. I agree that in Libra DeLillo almost undermines the epic proportions of the JFK assassination by making Lee really pretty pathetic and insignificant - his only significance is being bizarre enough to fall into a huge assassination plan without neccessarily meaning to.
ReplyDeleteI think this is really interesting. It gives a reason for DeLillo to portray Lee the way he does, an idealistic fool who can't do anything right, in a way that fits the narrative of the novel.
ReplyDeleteNice post, as it points out indirectly that to become famous you need a little bit of luck.
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