One of the character traits of a Libra is being charming, but as we see in the first couple chapters of his story, Lee is the total opposite. He goads people on just to get into a fight, he knows he's smart, and he's not afraid to tell other people about it. He would have done well at Uni.
Libras are also supposed to be diplomatic, and handle things with grace and dignity. And yet, when Lee gets picked on by other Marines, he acts out in every possible way. In an attempt to stay at Japan, he shot himself in the arm. When Reitmeyer tries to mess with him, he almost cries out of frustration. That doesn't say grace or dignity to me.
So what does it say about the book that the title is so starkly opposite one of the main characters?
I think that DeLillo purposefully introduces a lot of conflicting ideas and situations into his book. I didn't know about the conflict between Lee's sign and his actual personality, but there's also clashes between the real characters and the fictional inventions who seem so much more realistic than the history. It really makes you think about every aspect of the book. The author makes it so that the reader has to analyze Lee's character and compare previous knowledge about the topic with what DeLillo proposes.
ReplyDeleteFrom my dictionary, "Libra" is also a small constellation "said to represent the balance that is the symbol of justice." I think I do tend to associate the word more with those ideas of equilibrium or fairness, an interesting theme for the book to explore. The acts in the novel certainly seem to go directly against justice, making the title every more puzzling. Perhaps DeLillo is trying to find some sort of balance from the multitudes of facts surrounding JFK's death.
ReplyDeleteThis is an interesting observation, I was wondering how the title was going to relate to the novel. I just looked it up, and apparently Libras also hate being alone. I guess that's another discontinuity between the zodiac and the man, because Lee is very much the solitary type. The main image of Libra though, like Andy mentioned, is that of a scale and the justice that it represents. I know that JFK's assassination is one that is seen as an act of complete injustice, but maybe, as we we get farther in this book, DeLillo will attempt to swing us into seeing Lee Harvey Oswald's actions as those that are justifiable.
ReplyDeleteThe controversial ideas surrounding JFK's assassination are brought into scale, in a way, in Libra, a novel which can be seen as a balancing act, especially for characters like Lee.
ReplyDeleteIsaac also wrote about the sign and offered different ideas as to why the title is Libra. This makes sense that it is based off his zodiac sign. It's also just extremely ironic. It's like "wow look at all of these great things Lee isn't". This contrast kind of makes it easier to see him as the person who assassinated the president. It gives us this ideal version that he could be as a marine and what not and then we have him.
ReplyDeleteI think that it is probably just an ironic thing. But I expect that DeLillo will probably make it quite clear, later in the novel, why he chose the title.
ReplyDeleteIt's kind of an ironic contrast. On the other hand, maybe the reference to the zodiac/horoscope is a way of referencing how the events of the book are already set in stone? I like the idea of "justice" that other people have mentioned in the comments. Also, (this is a total stretch...) maybe Lee wants to be charismatic and charming the way Libras are supposed to be? When he pictures himself as a great revolutionary leader he has a lot more charisma than he does in real life. It'll be interesting to see how the title "Libra" comes into play later in the book.
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