Impressions and Ideas about Marguerite and the end of Libra

In the final chapter of Libra, we find Lee's mother Marguerite heart-broken over her son's death as well as the entire situation leading to the event, such that she claims that Lee must have been manipulated by others to assassinate Kennedy. To Marguerite, as she explains to Chief Justice Warren, the idea that Lee was raised in a proper and loving home and is a good person at heart collides with the idea that he could have possibly chosen to commit an act as atrocious as shooting and killing the president. Therefore, the act does not fit with her world view and she refuses to accept the lone shooter idea, ergo believing in the conspiracy that Lee was manipulated and convinced to carry out his actions and was killed in an effort to erase evidence.

This theory seems to be much easier to understand and more comforting, that Lee was not alone when he acted, since the idea that someone such as Lee, a man living on the margins of society, could possibly gain access to shooting the president. If the CIA, mafia, or larger organization were to have employed a radical such as Lee and aided him by successfully putting him in a position to shoot the president while also destroying any of his links to them, it seems as something more credible to us. Also, as Delillo notes, many aspects of the plan were left to chance, an idea impossible to accept since we already see a conspiracy acting and many other coincidences not related to said plot occur altogether, we are pushed to accept a larger conspiracy occurring.

Overall Impressions of Libra

 Don Delillo's novel Libra, an exploration of the possible catalyst and reasons behind the JFK assassination, presents the reader with a variety of conspiracy theories and allows for the overlap of such theories. For example, the theory of Lee Harvey Oswald being a lone shooter is also converged with CIA plots to assassinate Kennedy while the idea of Jack Ruby's patriotism being behind the shooting is also merged with the mafia's need to eliminate Oswald as a witness. Delillo allows readers to fully understand the vast array of information which will remain a mystery, and does not portray definite theories in arrogant ways as other authors or conspiracy theorists may.

Another interesting side of the theories is what Delillo considers "chance" and how much the assassination attempt is rested on the luck of the plotters. Although there is a sense that the people behind the plot have carefully planned to shot the president and have found Oswald to aid them, there is also the idea that any fail in the plot could cause the attempt to fail as Lee commonly obsesses about with his own plot throughout the novel. Perhaps this is why agents found Lee, who is an idealist and attempts to be a perfectionist in his plans, to shoot the president, so that it is possible that, after failing in so many aspects of his life and having only a single chance to enter history, that Lee will succeed.

What Oswald represents: What We Can Understand About him and the Existing Mysteries Regarding Oswald

Lee Harvey Oswald, a radical Marxist who expresses his anti-social behavior and angering ideas in cold war America, is, although initially despised by most readers, who see him a a crazed assassin, gradually becomes humanized through Delillo's subtle ways. Lee is compared to various characters and parallels are drawn between them, such that we can relate to Lee on various levels. Also, Lee is the essential idealist who seeks to impose his set of moral values, although vastly different from most people's, upon society fervently attempts to become part of history, ergo creating changes for what he believes is for the better.

The initial striking contrast and parallel I noticed began with Delillo's comparison of Lee and Fidel Castro, both of which are communist idealists attempting to change society to fit their needs and societal ideas. Castro is a natural and charismatic leader who can inspire idealism in his followers, while also great at socializing and convincing people of his cause. Lee is faced with a much different situation of being a marxist is a society opposed to communism in the cold war era, yet isolates himself by expressing his thoughts and acting as if he were of greater importance than his peers and most people he meets.  Castro and Lee have exaggerated senses of self-importance, and feel that they will be the catalysts for change, both believing that they will be well known historically for what they consider "good" changes.

Win Everett also seeks changes in society and in a similar way to Lee, is an outsider who has never integrated socially, also having a sense of defeat and betrayal in the same way as Lee from the rest of society. Win has a "sense of cause", which although commonplace in most people, is over-exaggerated and over-expressed in the eyes of the others.

Initial Impressions of the JFK Assassination

After watching the recent Frontline documentary regarding Lee Harvey Oswald, I was enlightened regarding the Kennedy assassination, yet the idea that a single lone person could shoot down such a powerful man in modern times is fascinating in a horrific way. Yet as we delve further into this idea of the lone killer, we fully realize that there is little evidence against any conspiracy theories, such as the idea of two shooters or that this was planned by the vice president or any other entity. It is quite possible that Kennedy's enemies in the government planned his downfall, as being a charismatic and progressive president, he upset many conservative factions, such as the Texans, the CIA, as well as the vice president. It is obvious that the government likely knows the truth regarding his death, and were forced to pin the blame on a single killer to give a face and name to the entire event.

 Many theories exist, such as the idea that this was a communist plot by the Russians and Cubans since Americans prefer to think that our government is keeping us safe and is the most honest political system, yet the fact that the CIA easily let Oswald back into the country from Russia with knowledge of his background proves that, through the interests of Kennedy's enemies, many were indirectly involved in his shooting by turning a blind eye on Oswald and perhaps even aiding him in the shooting. The fact that Oswald left a paper trail of evidence to show to the public where the option of hiding his evidence further advances the validity of conspiracy theories in which the government played a part in the JFK assassination. When we think about the various times that the government has lied to us, including the NSA and others, and that a few patriotic individuals have told us the truth also furthers the notion of a conspiracy, such that this could potentially be a well-kept secret by the government to avoid exposing the truth.

Regardless of what occurred, the emotions and ideas following JFK's assassination truly interest and complex many Americans on this controversial topic to this day. Many continue to believe that the president's assassination in 1963 was done by the vice president or other political elements and has been kept a secret with good reason.

A Comparison of Rufus' relationships to Dana and Alice

Throughout the novel, we have seen how Rufus, who has become a product of his environment and has been given power and control over Alice such that he can rape and beat her with no consequences, has stressed that he feels true love towards Alice, yet, even though society is somewhat to blame for his actions, at a certain point the reader fully realizes that Rufus has a personality flaw and has never matured from a child. After Alice's suicide, he therefore feels that he can shift his "love" to Dana, who in a similar way to Alice, has been allowing him to act in vicious ways with little consequences (as allowed by the society, which permits Rufus to sexually assault Dana at the end of the novel).

Initially, Rufus felt affection towards Alice and sought advice and learning from Dana, but in a way, we could predict his shift of affection to Dana after Alice's suicide since he felt no grief or sense of guilt after her death, and wanting a partner, saw Dana as his only option. Rufus' power affects both Dana and Alice in the same way, and although they see themselves as being extremely different in their influences and existence, they lack control of their bodies and are under direct and absolute control of Rufus. Alice initially attempts to leave alongside Isaac, therefore resisting Rufus, just as Dana kills him in the end as the only option of resisting his sexual assaults on her.  Kevin and Dana's relationship is looked upon favorably by Rufus at first, and he claims that he wishes to live in a different time period so that he could marry Alice, yet in their "relationship", it becomes apparent that Rufus prefers to have complete control in a vastly different way from the small power imbalance in Kevin and Dana's relationship. 

Overall Views of Rufus in contrast to his Father

Throughout the novel Kindred, we find that, although initially a likeable and agreeable character, Rufus steadily changes his behavior as an adult after years of influence affecting him over the course of his life. Even though he does not want to inflict physical pain upon his slaves and is exponentially more humane and charismatic as his father, who say the slaves and people under a business model or a profit generating scheme, Rufus occasionally lashes out and acts violently when he does not achieve his way.

Rufus, in contrast to his father, can acknowledge when he behaves in a brutal manner, and although he apologizes to Dana and others after he has committed his atrocious acts, he diminishes the impact or importance of his behavior. Therefore, many readers, who were initially distracted by his charisma, steadily see him as a villain as their sympathy towards Rufus decreases. In many ways, Tom Weylin cannot see the many faults on his outlook on life, since he has been indoctrinated in this system and sees his greed above human suffering.

Rufus, in our eyes appears to be a monster and a misguided person, though we must remember that he was somewhat progressive in his overall behavior for his society, having allowed Dana to teach Nigel to read and typically caring for the slaves in a insufficient way.

Ideas about the end of Slaughterhouse Five

Throughout Slaughterhouse Five, Vonnegut has expressed his anti-war ideas, which culminate in an anti-climactic end like no other! After Dresden is bombed, Billy still shows little emotional reaction to the death and despair of the citizens of Dresden, preferring instead to focus on the positive moments much like a Tralfamadorian novel. Of the few moments where Billy Pilgrim chooses to show emotion is when he is shown the condition of the horses transporting him, such that he weeps for their pain.

Vonnegut continues expressing the strong anti-war message, depriving us of any emotion as he portrays the corpse mines and the destruction caused by the fire-bombs inflicted upon Dresden. The American prisoners and the German soldiers become allies such that they are only trying to survive and not achieve revenge or harm to their enemies, while the American soldiers, who far outnumber their German captors, become emotionless in that they do not react to the suffering which occurs around them.

I found Derby's death quite uninspiring as well, since Vonnegut built up the climax such that Derby was expected to have a heroic death, yet he is caught stealing a teapot from the catacombs, is arrested and later shot by a firing squad for something seen as a minor and inconsequential action in a wartime conflict.