Libra: Imperfect Art of Fate
Libra by Don DeLillo is a speculative reconstruction of the JFK assassination in support of the conspiracy theory that Lee Harvey Oswald did not commit the crime alone. The novel suggests that 3 former CIA agents plotted the crime and looped in Oswald as the main shooter to tie the crime to Cuba. However, the plan had its own fate and did not exactly follow their envision. Oswald, on the other hand, had his desire to work as a lone gunman also trampled. Through both failed plans, DeLillo suggests a theme of how individuals will often fall short in determining fate, and subsequently the course of history. Growing up as a solitary figure, Oswald develops a strong desire to work independently. Acting alone allows him to feel significant, to matter . Even Mackey, the conspirator portrayed earlier as skeptical of everyone, firmly believed that “Oswald wanted to be the lone gunman” (DeLillo 386). However, Oswald’s obsession did not prevent him from being framed by a larger system, name...