I Am One With The Force (of History)

While reading Libra, I've noticed that Oswald not only is fascinated by communism and revolution, but also seems to fixate on this notion of history as a force, and "merging with history". On page 101, DeLillo writes "...the individual must allow himself to be swept along, must find himself in the stream of no-choice, the single direction. This is what makes things inevitable. You use the restrictions and penalties they invent to make yourself stronger. History means to merge. The purpose of history is to climb out of your own skin...We live forever in history..." This idea pops up a lot when Oswald is going through hardships - he seems to think about the "history in the room" when he's with his mother, or locked up in jail with Dupard and the abusive guards.

Although I'm still struggling with what the purpose of this idea is, it reminded me of a few things which might provoke some new thoughts in someone else (help me!). In US History this week and last week we've been talking a lot about the radical social movements of the 60s-70s. One of the movements we've been discussing is Radical Feminism. Gloria Steinem, a prominent feminist activist from back then, writes something along the lines of "the personal is political" to emphasize the idea that our social interactions with each other are influenced by our perceptions of gender; but the principle also applies to race, sexuality, able-bodiedness, religion, or any other social identity. Though her use of the slogan was meant to promote activism for the Feminist movement, it seems to ring true in a different way for DeLillo's characters - Oswald thinks often about losing his identity in history, becoming part of the larger flow - "to climb out of your own skin". Similar to how Steinem wanted women to see their personal interactions as manifestations of social trends, Oswald sees himself consciously as a player in the game of history, and it seems that a lot of Oswald's character is associated with his political beliefs or beliefs about history. He often cites the "whirl of life" inside of him that is history, that is all people.

Although I really am not sure where DeLillo is going with this right now, I find the idea that we are all anonymous players in the game of history to be a profoundly beautiful thought, which is kind of a scary assertion to make given that I don't know how DeLillo will treat this idea of "merging with history", whether he will make it a deadly, crazy obsession of Oswald's that no one should ever believe in, or the key to all of life. Maybe I'm misreading it in the context of this allegory, I don't know yet, but it feels relevant to me in the context of the walkouts that are happening across the country tomorrow. So far, this idea asserts (for me) some of the same things that Kindred put forth - that people are products of their historical/political environment. Oswald's attempts to feel the history in the room are a watered-down manifestation of Dana's obligation to feel the history in the room - she knows she's living the history, while Oswald wants to think that he is. Where do you think DeLillo is going with this, and what might it have to do with the Kennedy assassination? Is it asking us to consider ourselves as players in the historical game? Does anyone else find this idea beautiful like I do, or are we meant to take it with more cynicism and mock Oswald?

Comments

  1. Max E.April 20, 2018 at 6:44 PM

    I doubt that Lee's obsession with being a part of history is supposed to be a positive thing. Even though the mere fact that he wants to merge with history as a criticism, I noticed that the way it is written about makes him seem somewhat psychotic. The quote you used is somewhat disjointed and extraordinarily abstract. Other Oswald quotes about history make him seem downright delusional, such as when he thinks everything that happens to him is part of his destiny. It's also my guess that his obsession with shaping history will lead him to kill Kennedy after he becomes somewhat disenchanted with the Soviet Union and decides not to become the next Stalin.

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  2. RayaApril 20, 2018 at 7:28 PM

    I feel like seeing yourself as basically a pawn of history probably would drive you insane, but it sort of is true. People are shaped by their cultures and so we probably don't have as much freedom as we think we do. I think that maybe we're supposed to take whatever we want out of Lee's mentality, but it's not presented like he's right. Sometimes it feels like this is just a bullied nobody trying to feel like he has a purpose, and so he's trying to make himself historical.

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  3. UnknownApril 21, 2018 at 7:28 AM

    I certainly think that an obsession with becoming part of history could be a factor of why lee goes through with the assassination attempt. Certainly his name is a household name currently, while otherwise no one would ever know anything about a Lee Harvey Oswald. There is an incentive to do horrible things, only so that you can be remembered in the annuls of history.

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  4. Ayat JaberApril 22, 2018 at 4:50 PM

    With Lee as our protagonist, it gets pretty interesting. On the one hand, he could just be a psychotic crazy guy who just likes to annoy people and be arrogant. On the other hand, he could be standing up for justice and trying to really make a mark in history. So will Lee merge with history, or stick out like a sore thumb?

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