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.

Initial Impressions of Billy Pilgrim

Billy Pilgrim, the main character Vonnegut uses to portray the tragic bombing of Dresden in an extremely surreal and fictional way, in many ways cannot be considered a protagonist since he exhibits no change throughout the plot. Overall, I find the idea of having a time-traveling character truly fascinating, as he cannot impact his future, past or present, fully realizing that his fate is sealed based on actions he was destined to complete.

Billy, although reliving the same experiences, of his life, actions and death, comes to different conclusions about his existence and his meaning, as well as ultimately, the meaning of life and its purpose. At first, Billy is portrayed as "stuck in amber, just as small insects", such that he is eternally in a constant cycle of living and dying, and ultimately, conquering death in his never-ending peace.

As several of his peers die off, at times assassinated by the Germans or dying from a lack of resources, Billy is hopeful even when confronted by the cruel reality of the war and loss of free will, such that, in knowing his future, he accepts his reality, which he cannot change. Therefore, by his acceptance of his future, he becomes at peace with himself as well as his actions, and so it goes.

Final Ideas on "Jes Grew"

Throughout Reed's novel, Mumbo Jumbo, although I initially struggled to understand what Jes Grew was and what Reed depicted it as, I invariably changed and questioned my ideas on what this "plague" was as I delved further into the book. Originally, I believed Jes Grew was simply a new music genre which radically challenged aspects of the conservative society previous to the 1920's, therefore equating Jes Grew with Jazz music. Furthermore, I began realizing towards the end of the novel that Jes Grew was simply a lifestyle, a culture which attempted to change the ideas of the "old-fashioned society", a synonym of western culture.

Towards the end of Mumbo Jumbo, it becomes apparent that the "Jes Grew" of the 1920's has become incorporated into mainstream culture and is widely accepted by the society, yet if this lifestyle, which was originally created as a counter-cultural attempt to expand western culture, becomes an accepted part of the culture, then it can no longer be qualified as Jes Grew. In concluding the novel, we find that PaPa LaBas has become a noted professor and lectures to university students with regards to the Jazz culture of the 1920's, yet by this time, Jes Grew has few, if any, opponents.

This creates the feeling that Jes Grew has defeated the Wallflower Order, but in reality, it could be completely possible that the society gradually accepted Jes Grew as the new generations matured, such that the newer Jes Grew of the time would be the main target of the Wallflower Order. Since Jazz culture and music was accepted and considered more traditional, it is entirely possible that the Wallflower order no longer considered Jazz as part of Jes Grew

The final question, however, arises as to what is the current status of Jes Grew? In class, we mentioned that many music styles, such as Rap and many of the more modern music genres, have become the forefront of controversy due to their status as radical and even offensive to "old-fashioned" culture and values. Clearly, the Jes Grew of PaPa LaBas' time has evolved to no longer include Jazz music or culture, instead constantly creating new and extreme lifestyles.

Who was Hans Kohlhaas and how does he impact Ragtime?

Towards the end of the novel Ragtime, we find that one of the more realistic, yet historically inaccurate characters, Coalhouse Walker, goes on a rampage after his car is destroyed and he is mistreated by the bigoted and uneducated Conklin. Overall, the loss of Sarah alongside an oppressive system which shields justice and punishes him for standing for his rights and property eventually push his to the brink of lunacy as he and his friends invade the Morgan library, while taking J. P. Morgan hostage. The main question, before reading this section of the novel, was what inspired Doctorow to incorporate such an unexpected ending to the novel?

The historical novel Michael Kohlhaas, written in 1811, which would later become the basis for Doctorow's ending to Ragtime, was based on the 16th century story of Hans Kohlhaas, a merchant traveling from Colln, in Berlin, to Leipzig fair of Saxony in 1532, who, upon having his prized horses seized as a toll for traveling through Saxony by the Junker von Zaschwitz, decides to seek for justice through the court system. After being denied the return of his horses, Kohlhaas and his newly-formed group rampage through Wittenberg, burning houses and committing acts of terror. Interestingly, Martin Luther attempts to reason Kohlhaas into abstaining from his terrorism to no avail.

In comparison, the Coalhouse of Ragtime finds himself in an era before civil rights such that he truly believes that he will achieve justice against Conklin in an oppressive system, and when justice cannot be found through the legal system, such as when the police officer refuses to take actions against Conklin and instead arrests Coalhouse, he decides to take actions on his own accord. In a similar act of terrorism, Coalhouse gathers a group of similar-minded individuals who decide to aid him in his quest for justice by destroying, or threatening to destroy, the Morgan library alongside its many valuable.

Therefore, it can be noted that Doctorow incorporates the age-long quest for justice turned into obsession into the Ragtime era, where the fight for equality by Coalhouse was developed from an ancient German story.

       Towards the end of the post-modernist work of historical fiction, Ragtime, we find the interlocking stories of the various characters connected, an amongst the most influential and noteworthy characters, Coalhouse Walker is portrayed as one of the idealist lunatics who turns to violent actions to prove his point. After Sarah dies and his model T car is destroyed by the chief firefighter Conklin at the Emerald Isle fire station, Coalhouse seeks his revenge in a way that would seem unproportional to his misfortune. In doing so, Doctorow uses this fictional character with the tragic flaw of hubris such that he is admirable to the reader due to his personality, ambition and motivation in spite of his destructive actions.
       J. P. Morgan, the "modern day Pharaoh" of American capitalism, although superficially the antithesis of Coalhouse, fascinatingly shares various similarities to Coalhouse. At first, their detachment from soceity is manifested in their attitudes and, especially with Coalhouse, in their actions. Morgan believes himself to be like a Pharaoh from Ancient Egypt, and notes that he has no peers, continuing by the idea that he is so high in the socioeconomic latter that he cannot possibly fail, while finds that his wealth is the reason for his loneliness. At the other side of the spectrum, we note that, although not detached from society due to economie issues, makes a stand for his beliefs, and in doing so in a violent and radical way, causes him to lose his life.

       Fundamentally, after Coalhouse and his group capture the Morgan library and take J. P. Morgan as a hostage, the parallels between Coalhouse's right to own a Model T car and Morgan's right to raid and steal ancient Egyptian art is inevitably linked to the issues of a consumerist system. Coalhouse Walker, just as Morgan, has bought into the idea of consumerism, and chooses to build assets such that he can rise in class, yet due to the racist social structure of the time, is seen by some, such as Conklin, as an outsider to the system and as someone who must be stopped. Similarly, Morgan is an outsider, yet only due to his wealth and his distance from the then-current American soceity, and is therefore unable to mesh into soceity and find peers. This refusal to live in the bounds of early 1900's American soceity, in an outdated and obsolete system which we would consider nowadays, causes obstacles for both characters.
       In conclusion, Coalhouse and Morgan become social outcasts due to their actions, a product of their removal from the early 1900's society as well as their fatal flaws that appear throughout the novel. Therefore, although most readers would not associate Morgan and Coalhouse, who superficially as vastly different, there are many parallels which cannot be ignored.

Ragtime: Innitial Ideas on Plot, Tone and Overall View and Summary on the First Chapters

Initially fascinated with the much acclaimed novel Ragtime by E. L. Doctorow, I quickly became accustomed to the common ironic, yet not entirely sarcastic tone, and although at first glance appearing casual, it soon appeared clear that the writing style had a more detached tone that portrayed only the surface of life in America in the early 1900's without adding the emotion found in most novels. As I repeatedly tried to analyze and comprehend why the writer attempted to portray some of the horrific and tragic events in an uncaring manner, I grasped the simple fact that the author did not try to be realistic, nor attached to his writing, only taking history lightly and adding details that, although seemingly realistic, were in fact there to add to the post-modernist effect of only skimming the surface, to not explore the individual genius or historical depth.

The plot, originally, has been hard to follow thus far since unlikely events, such as Houdini suddenly meeting the New Rochelle family and the father of the family traveling to the Arctic, plague the text. This surreal world, written in a generally historically accurate world, therefore attempts to portray a general, and at times detailed, view of the American way of life at the start of the 20th century. At first, we find the New Rochelle family, with the father, the mother, the young boy and the mother's sister, who infatuates Evelyn Nesbit, why the child develops an admiration for Houdini, who crashes his car near the family's house and soon meets the family. Afterward, the father prepares for a trip to the Arctic region, his family bidding their farewells at the New Rochelle train station, and later discovering a boat transporting immigrants, to which he shows despair.

The immigrants of the vessel steadily pour into the city, where we meet an immigrant family consisting of Mameh, Tateh and a little girl, all of them employed, while Tateh is paid by her employer to partake in intercourse with him. Also, journalist Jacob Riis implores Stanford White, the renowned architect, if he believes or thinks of housing for the impoverished sections of soceity.

In a original and innovative style of piecing stories together, we return to the wealthy New Rochelle family, of which the mother's brother still obsesses about Nesbit, who herself becomes preoccupied by the fate of her husband, who had recently shot and killed Stanford White. Harry Thaw, Nesbit's husband, later becomes imprisoned pending his trial, finding Houdini in the cells while Houdini proves the facility of escaping the prison. Furthermore, Sigmund Freud has recently arrived to America in chapter six, viewed by most of his academic peers as revolutionary and radical, yet with unethical ideas about the human mind.

Throughout the first six chapters, the tendency of the style of writing appears detached and in many obvious points, somewhat emotionless, even in the places where any reasonable reader, when presented with many facts mentioned in the writing, would be appalled. Personally, I see the care-free style of writing used as necessary at times, yet this tone does not work uniformly for various and obvious reasons. Such examples include the paragraphs describing the tragic fate of various workers and the lower socioeconomic classes and people, where Doctorow jokingly writes that the industrial capitalist factory owners used children as "happy, little elves" who would gladly work for next to nothing in horrendous conditions, casually claiming the quotas as commonplace.