The Irony of Individualism in Libra
In Libra, Lee Harvey Oswald is repeatedly driven by his fixation on fame. He wants to become a historical figure- someone that you see on newspapers and whose name becomes imbedded in everyone’s fundamental knowledge of American history. Throughout the book, Oswald frequently finds himself preoccupied with a new mission or goal, giving himself new names and identities. Feeling too Russian for America, Oswald travels to Russia, where he soon feels too American for Russia. Everywhere he goes, Oswald sees himself being thousands of steps ahead of everyone, maintaining an everlasting idea that he is unlike those around him. Oswald goes as far as attempting to murder the American General Walker, yet when he misses and the media coverage is sub-par, Oswald begins plotting his next attempt at fame. Seemingly obsessed with twisted interpretations of American culture in the 1900s, which supported a classic “rags to riches” storyline, Oswald eventually, allegedly, kills President Kennedy. Did he accomplish his convoluted objective of fame? I suppose he did, because here we are, 20 years later, examining the perplexing character that Oswald was. Lee Harvey Oswald in Libra is framed as an exceedingly individualistic character who ultimately serves as a point of irony for American culture that glamorizes media coverage and fame.
DeLillo, author of Libra,
does not follow objective findings from Kennedy’s assassination case. In fact, he
makes it clear how many historical “facts” differ so substantially that they ultimately
blur the line between fact and fiction. DeLillo portrays Oswald as someone who
lives his life constantly chasing something new and impressive. When his
attempt to kill General Walker failed, Oswald resorted to killing the President,
which was an eventual effect of Oswald’s deranged mind that misinterpreted the
American glamorization of fame. Oswald’s “self-made” plotline and peculiar Americanism
leads him to reaching a nuanced and sadistic attainment of fame. Oswald, a
seemingly unremarkable man, did everything in his power to make himself
exceptionally unique.
Oswald wants to be known and is impressed and charmed
by American media, leading him to plot the murder of President Kennedy, who he
seems to kill out of a passionate thrill. Throughout Libra, Oswald maintains
a high sense of individualism, writing his own historical books and diaries, truly
believing that he will accomplish greatness. Libra appears to make a
mockery of his individualism through a corrupted picture of individualism as a
path to America’s media glamour and coverage of fame.
Oswald's desire for attention being the result of the American galmorization of fame is something I never thought about but could very well have been a contributing factor for why he would become the way he did. This, at least for me, somehow manages to make the story of JFK's death even more dark & chilling, especially in modern times. Today's social media feels like a breeding ground for future a Lee Harvey Oswald to change the course of history.
ReplyDeleteGreat observations, Larissa! Lee is definitely motivated by his drive towards fame throughout the novel. I find it interesting how he seems to preferably seek negative attention and notoriety over other actions that might gain him a different, more positive reputation. I think this differentiation reflects Oswald's twisted personality as he seeks hatred and enjoys it.
ReplyDeleteNice post! Lee's ambition for fame could be a factor in his actions throughout the story. However, I believe he favors negative attention over positive attention since becoming famous for a bad reason is far simpler than becoming renowned for a good reason. Fame-seeking is still popular today, and with social media on increasing, a situation similar to Lee's behaviors is unavoidable.
ReplyDeleteI agree, throughout the book Lee definitely has this undefined motivation for fame and recognition. I think, despite other comments, that Lee favors both negative and positive attention because when he visits Russia, he disowns America and embraces Russia. This would spark negative attention from America but positive from Russia. Overall interesting post!!
ReplyDeleteGood blog. Oswald, throughout Libra, searches for validation. Going to great lengths of failing to kill General Walker to making a statement by assassinating the 35th president. He is on a perpetual cycle of individualism where he searches to become important by performing audacious acts deemed by society.
ReplyDeleteLarissa, this is a wonderful post! It's really quite ironic how Lee, with all his internalized values about going against the grain, being his own person who doesn't adhere to authority, is clearly manipulated into doing exactly what the CIA agents and other figures want him to do. I think that it's interesting as a reader to read parts of the novel like David Ferrie's role in persuading Lee versus Lee actually interacting with David Ferrie, and realizing that Lee is unwittingly being lead into a dangerous plot with even more dangerous consequences.
ReplyDeleteHi Larissa, I agree with your blog. Lee's ideological motive for recognition, for history, to "take part in the struggle". Interestingly, Lee doesn't want money, but fame, and this vanity also creates a high degree of manipulability which many characters exploit throughout the novel. DeLillo also depicts Lee's individualism as semi-ironic: did he really do everything himself or was he just a figurehead for Win Everett and the plot?
ReplyDeleteGreat post! Lee's obsession with wanting to become historically significant plays a key role in many of his actions throughout the book. Lee regarding himself as "being thousands of steps ahead of everyone" is clearly inaccurate when we see him being manipulated by many characters. His obsession for fame can also be connected with his communist beliefs, which lead him to wanting to impress Castro and the Cuban government and also the USSR by attempting to kill Walker and JFK.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your assessment of Lee's self-centered temperament. Even from the early portrayals of his life, it becomes quite apparent that Lee views himself as a misunderstood outsider with superior intellect and revolutionary ideas. This self-importance carries on throughout the novel, manifesting itself in his interest in communist literature, desire to live in the USSR, aspirations of defect to Cuba, attempt on General Walker's life, and ultimately his assassination of JFK.
ReplyDeleteWhenever I think of Lee and his desire for "fame" or notoriety or being part of the massive tide of "history" in some meaningful way, I always wonder how he would feel about the WAY he ultimately becomes one of the most notorious names in twentieth-century history: he is NOT known as some great hero of the Marxist cause who struck a meaningful blow against "the system" that had kept him and his mother down all these years. He is known as a loner and weirdo who commits an extreme act, likely under the influence of more powerful and influential people (OR as just the deranged lashing out of a deeply insecure man). History doesn't take his writings on Marxism seriously, and his "Historic Diary" is not interesting as a source of insight into Soviet Russia but rather a document that reflects the deepening extent of his delusion and alienation.
ReplyDeleteIt had not occurred to me that Lee’s character could be an ironic subversion of American individualism. Near the end of Libra, Lee becomes almost something of a christ figure. Martyring himself for fame, Lee’s assassination of Kennedy becomes something with the “possibility of being bigger in history than Jesus.” Oswald did it before the Beatles. Nice post, Larissa.
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