*Note: I have a big-text book so the page numbers will be off.
In Libra, Lee Harvey Oswald is quite the enigmatic character. Wimpy, weird, outcast, social justice fighter, absolute prick - he seems to fit all of these molds as he is completely out of his mind. However, even though he may seem somewhat pitiable and endearing in some ways (with his broken Russian, unmoved in his belief in Communism), Lee Harvey Oswald’s character is very unlikable.
One of the Oswald’s most prominent “icks” is his need to assert the belief that he has a greater intelligence than everyone else all the time. For example, when he’s serving the US marines, he’s always talking about how he loves communism and how everyone else is dumb for not believing it is the superior ideology to capitalism. When Oswald says, “The idea of Russia impresses me” (on that note, what does it mean for Russia to be an idea??) and another marine asks, “What idea?”, he responds, “Read a book” (DeLillo 104). To me, it seems apparent that he himself cannot articulate what exactly the “idea of Russia is”, and when questioned, reverts to insulting the intelligence of others. Another time, Oswald asks his wife to take a picture of him on the front lawn, flashing his communist magazines and the rifle he will use to try and shoot General Walker. He sent it to George de Mohrenschildt as a type of inside joke that only the two can understand. The whole point of sending the photo is to get De Mohrenschildt’s approval - Oswald knows that he would probably read about Walker’s assassination in the news and hopes he will attribute it to him. Evidently, Oswald thinks he’s some kind of avant-garde revolutionary whose actions only “intellectually rich”, “sophisticated” men will understand. Good thing his wife Marina writes on the back of the photo, “Hunter of fascists - ha ha ha!” (DeLillo 367).
Inherently, there is nothing wrong with Oswald wanting to be with the people he thinks are “cool” and “hip. What I detest about him is while he’s sucking up to others, he always pushes down the people who actually are helping him. He repeatedly beats up Marina when she doesn’t do what he wants, not acknowledging that she is someone who has her own set of beliefs. In attempting to kill General Walker, he hopes to move to Cuba as some “hero” - yet, while leaving family in destitute conditions in the United States.
Lee Harvey Oswald’s character and motivations in killing JFK continue to be an enigma to many people. However, ultimately, his actions and thoughts point to his person being utterly unsufferable.
Works Cited: DeLillo, Don. Libra. Penguin Books, 1991.
Hello Renee! I remember thinking the same thing about Lee, he seemed to kind of walk around with his nose stuck up. However, what bothered me the most was how he treated other people. Everybody else always kinda seemed invalid to him, he didn't seem to bother, and for me he was still kinda ok until the way he treated Marina. Great post!
ReplyDeleteI do like the ways that DeLillo deploys Marina to cut Lee down to size occasionally, and that inscription on the photo sent to DeMohrenschildt is historically accurate--the the very moment when Lee Oswald sends his self-constructed image as a militant revolutionary out into the world, very much presenting himself as a valid "hunter of fascists," we have Marina undermining him in the moment itself, as if SHE is sharing another private joke with George ("check out my doofus husband--'hunter of fascists,' yeah, right!"). This one brief moment where Marina inserts herself into the historical record implies a lot about how accurate DeLillo's larger portrait of the two of them must be--the petty bickering, with her always asking questions that puncture Lee's poses. Whether or not we find him entirely insufferable or partially sympathetic, there is no question that in this moment, enlisting his wife to photograph this constructed self-image, he is absolutely a *poseur*.
ReplyDeleteHi Renee!! I really enjoyed your blog post. I completely agree with all the points that you are making. I also find Oswald to be a very unlikable character. I think that one of the things that makes him an unlikable character is that he is a very arrogant person, and I think that the points you made really enhance that. Good Job!!!
ReplyDeleteHey Renee, I agree that Oswald is wrong in bringing down those who support him in an effort to bring himself up. However, it's important to remember that Oswald came to be this way because of how much he has suffered as a child, as he lived in poverty, had no father, and suffered with a reading disability. While nothing really justifies his arrogance and violence, at the same time he has some right to be proud of how much he has been able to learn on his own, such as communism and Russian. But I understand why you find him to be an annoying and arrogant guy. Overall, great post!
ReplyDeleteHi Renee, I completely agree that Oswald is constantly looking down on others, making him extremely unlikable. The point about him sucking up to others is interesting. He is portrayed like this throughout the book, especially because he seems to idolize certain figures. Yet, at the end of the book when he is in jail, he threatens to release the names of everyone involved in the assasination, which I think proves that he will always put himself over anyone else.
ReplyDeleteI really think the incredible arrogance that Oswald displays throughout the book is due, at least in part, to his desire to be noticed, praised, even admired. He was bullied as a child, never fit in no matter where he went, and lacked a real father figure. In the main period the book covers, he's constantly seeking recognition and everything he missed in his life as a boy... even if achieving recognition and validation involves killing the president of the United States. He was never really alright in the head.
ReplyDeleteHi Renee! I really agree with what you said about Oswald, and I was thinking the same things while reading it. His treatment of his family especially stood out to me, and while some of the stuff he does can be attributed to other issues he has, that part is one that I don't forgive him for. Great post!
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