Libra (novel)
Encyclopedia
Libra is a novel written by Don DeLillo
. It focuses on the life of Lee Harvey Oswald
and offers a speculative account of the events that shaped the assassination of President John F. Kennedy
.
The book takes the reader from Oswald's early days as a child, to his adolescent stint in the US Marine Corps, through his brief defection to the USSR and subsequent marriage to a Russian girl, and finally his return to the US and his role in the assassination of Kennedy.
In DeLillo's version of events, the assassination attempt on Kennedy is in fact intended to fail; the plot is instigated by disgruntled former CIA operatives who see it as the only way to guide the government to war on Cuba
.
Oswald is portrayed as an odd outcast of a man, whose overtly communist political views cause him difficulties fitting in to American society. He is not portrayed sympathetically, nor is he castigated; he is treated fairly in the novel, yet is not a character easy to attach to. He loves his wife, yet beats her; he dotes on his children yet he mistreats his mother. He is not shown to be a madman with absurd ideologies, but well-read and intelligent. However, the book also indicates that he is dyslexic and has great difficulty both in writing letters and reading books (he is shown reading the works of Karl Marx
slowly). He could be described as a pawn easily manipulated by others. But there is also continually a tendency to use this dyslexia as a wider theme in the issue of 'reading' situations, and more widely still the human difficulty in understanding themselves and the human situation.
Other characters are touched upon in the book, such as Win Everett, Lawrence Parmenter and Guy Banister
, who are presented as the chief conspirators of the assassination plot. A parallel story follows Nicholas Branch, a CIA archivist of more recent times assigned the monumental task of piecing together the disparate fragments of Kennedy's death. Branch concludes that the effort will be neverending and the whole truth ultimately unknowable. Branch is an example of the reader appearing in the novel itself, one of the postmodern phenomena that marks DeLillo's work. He is also a contribution to the book's theme of the struggle to make sense of life and his conclusion may be taken to some extent to be DeLillo's own. There are patterns, but what is a significant pattern (intention, motivation, human or divine creation) and what is coincidence (an idée fixe of one of the book's characters) is impossible to tell. The title of the book comes from Oswald's astrological sign, and as a picture of a scale, symbolizes for Nicholas Branch the outside forces of history literally weighing in on Oswald's fate as well as the fate of the entire assassination plot.
The novel blends historical fact with fictional supposition. Real-life characters intermingle with DeLillo's own creations. In an author's note at the close of the book, DeLillo writes that he has "made no attempt to furnish factual answers to any questions raised by the assassination."
Most of the characters and facts (or fictional reconstructions thereof) in the novel are also present in Oliver Stone
's JFK
, though the film is not based on DeLillo's novel.
James Ellroy
has mentioned Libra as an inspiration for his novel American Tabloid
, another take on the causes of the assassination.
Don DeLillo
Don DeLillo is an American author, playwright, and occasional essayist whose work paints a detailed portrait of American life in the late 20th and early 21st centuries...
. It focuses on the life of Lee Harvey Oswald
Lee Harvey Oswald
Lee Harvey Oswald was, according to four government investigations,These were investigations by: the Federal Bureau of Investigation , the Warren Commission , the House Select Committee on Assassinations , and the Dallas Police Department. the sniper who assassinated John F...
and offers a speculative account of the events that shaped the assassination of President John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
.
The book takes the reader from Oswald's early days as a child, to his adolescent stint in the US Marine Corps, through his brief defection to the USSR and subsequent marriage to a Russian girl, and finally his return to the US and his role in the assassination of Kennedy.
In DeLillo's version of events, the assassination attempt on Kennedy is in fact intended to fail; the plot is instigated by disgruntled former CIA operatives who see it as the only way to guide the government to war on Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
.
Oswald is portrayed as an odd outcast of a man, whose overtly communist political views cause him difficulties fitting in to American society. He is not portrayed sympathetically, nor is he castigated; he is treated fairly in the novel, yet is not a character easy to attach to. He loves his wife, yet beats her; he dotes on his children yet he mistreats his mother. He is not shown to be a madman with absurd ideologies, but well-read and intelligent. However, the book also indicates that he is dyslexic and has great difficulty both in writing letters and reading books (he is shown reading the works of Karl Marx
Karl Marx
Karl Heinrich Marx was a German philosopher, economist, sociologist, historian, journalist, and revolutionary socialist. His ideas played a significant role in the development of social science and the socialist political movement...
slowly). He could be described as a pawn easily manipulated by others. But there is also continually a tendency to use this dyslexia as a wider theme in the issue of 'reading' situations, and more widely still the human difficulty in understanding themselves and the human situation.
Other characters are touched upon in the book, such as Win Everett, Lawrence Parmenter and Guy Banister
Guy Banister
William Guy Banister was a career member of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and a private investigator. He gained notoriety from the allegations made by New Orleans District Attorney Jim Garrison, after Banister's death, that he had been involved in the assassination of John F. Kennedy...
, who are presented as the chief conspirators of the assassination plot. A parallel story follows Nicholas Branch, a CIA archivist of more recent times assigned the monumental task of piecing together the disparate fragments of Kennedy's death. Branch concludes that the effort will be neverending and the whole truth ultimately unknowable. Branch is an example of the reader appearing in the novel itself, one of the postmodern phenomena that marks DeLillo's work. He is also a contribution to the book's theme of the struggle to make sense of life and his conclusion may be taken to some extent to be DeLillo's own. There are patterns, but what is a significant pattern (intention, motivation, human or divine creation) and what is coincidence (an idée fixe of one of the book's characters) is impossible to tell. The title of the book comes from Oswald's astrological sign, and as a picture of a scale, symbolizes for Nicholas Branch the outside forces of history literally weighing in on Oswald's fate as well as the fate of the entire assassination plot.
The novel blends historical fact with fictional supposition. Real-life characters intermingle with DeLillo's own creations. In an author's note at the close of the book, DeLillo writes that he has "made no attempt to furnish factual answers to any questions raised by the assassination."
Most of the characters and facts (or fictional reconstructions thereof) in the novel are also present in Oliver Stone
Oliver Stone
William Oliver Stone is an American film director, producer and screenwriter. Stone became well known in the late 1980s and the early 1990s for directing a series of films about the Vietnam War, for which he had previously participated as an infantry soldier. His work frequently focuses on...
's JFK
JFK (film)
JFK is a 1991 American film directed by Oliver Stone. It examines the events leading to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy and alleged subsequent cover-up, through the eyes of former New Orleans district attorney Jim Garrison .Garrison filed charges against New Orleans businessman Clay...
, though the film is not based on DeLillo's novel.
James Ellroy
James Ellroy
Lee Earle "James" Ellroy is an American crime fiction writer and essayist. Ellroy has become known for a so-called "telegraphic" prose style in his most recent work, wherein he frequently omits connecting words and uses only short, staccato sentences, and in particular for the novels The Black...
has mentioned Libra as an inspiration for his novel American Tabloid
American Tabloid
American Tabloid is a 1995 novel by James Ellroy. The novel chronicles three rogue American law enforcement officers from November 22, 1958 through November 22, 1963. Each becomes entangled in a web of interconnecting associations between the FBI, CIA, and the Mafia, which eventually leads to their...
, another take on the causes of the assassination.