Like the events it's based on, Libra is more than it seems. A number of the characters in it so far are real people while others are made up, so without preexisting knowledge of people associated with the Kennedy assassination and conspiracies (aside from Kennedy and Oswald) it's hard to tell if someone is real or not. The fictional CIA people like Everett, Parmenter, and Mackey are really involved in their plan but not much else information is given about them. To me, Lee has been the most interesting character to follow so far since he's seemed like the most relatable. He comes across to me as someone who wants to escape the reality he's currently living in, and his chosen outlet for doing so is through the Marxist ideologies he learns out of the old books in the library. He imagines joining a communist cell and engaging in "night missions that required intelligence and stealth," something that sounds more exciting than going to school and living with his mom (37). He finds "the drabness of his surroundings, his own shabby clothes were explained and transformed by these books" (41). The reverence Lee holds towards the books and their ideas suggests that he thinks joining a communist cell would be the solution to his problems.
Another reason Lee's plot line is interesting to read is because there's the knowledge of what he'll do later. It gives his narrative a sinister overtone, and this overtone wouldn't be present if he hadn't assassinated the president. His fantasizing about being important and being part of history sounds concerning, but if he hadn't shot the president later his activities might be looked upon differently.
Your point about Lee being "the most relateable" character will be worth keeping in mind as the novel unfolds, and as his actions move closer to regions that most of us would emphatically NOT relate to. I see what you mean: we get far more interiority for Lee than any other character so far, and the plotters exist mostly in relation to the plot--the role they serve as "blank-space fillers" in DeLillo's speculative narrative. We do get an interior life for Win (and some intimate details of everyday life around his house, his relationship with Mary Frances, etc.). But amid these bucolic suburban vignettes (putting away groceries, answering the phone in the evening), we see Win contemplating this insane plot to stage an attempt on the president's life. Lee's fantasy world hasn't gotten nearly so extreme (yet!).
ReplyDeleteI also find Lee to be the most interesting character to read about at this point in the novel. It's kind of weird reading about him, since I knew nothing about his past and only knew him through the JFK assassination, but I think that's also good because we get to see a different perspective. DeLillo constantly reminds us of what Lee will end up doing (or I guess what he'll take part in), so I agree that there is kind of a sinister overtone.
ReplyDeleteLee is almost somewhat of an endearing character in these first few chapters, depicted as a smart guy with almost no friends who's looking to make his mark on history. I imagine he's only going to become less likable of a character as the novel progresses though, with the date of JFK's death looming ever closer. I enjoy following his story, and I'll be interested to see how he changes as he becomes more intertwined with the CIA.
ReplyDeleteI guess Lee's supposed to be the most interesting character; he's the main character, after all. I didn't think Lee was really all that relatable, though. For a while, anyway. Sympathetic, maybe, but not quite relatable. He goes around struggling to read what he loves most and having a love-hate relationship with everyone around him. I couldn't really pin down his personality beyond "weird." And then in Atsugi, Lee has a dissociative episode. The first thing I read about Lee that has me going, saaame, and it's him dissociating. I don't know what's so interesting about that to me, but wow. That point of intersection really came out of left field. It didn't suddenly make his entire character make sense or anything, but now there's something worth thinking about as I keep reading.
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