Libra (Cyclopedia of Literary Characters)
At a glance:
- Author: Don DeLillo
- First Published: 1988
- Type of Work: Novel
- Type of Plot: Postmodernism
- Time of Work: The 1950’s and the 1960’s
- Setting: The United States, Japan, and the Soviet Union
- Genres: Long fiction
- Subjects: 1950’s
- Locales: United States
Characters Discussed
Lee Harvey Oswald, John F. Kennedy’s assassin. Dyslexic and fatherless, the emotionally insecure Oswald—reared by a neurotic mother and frequently uprooted while growing up—is a misfit, a “solitary,” who exists at the very margins (social, economic, and psychological) of American life. Even as he exacerbates his own social isolation, he fantasizes about belonging, about having a “destiny” and a part to play in history. He drifts across America, following first his mother, then his brother, a Marine. He joins the Navy, is assigned to a U-2 base...
[The entire page is 1594 words long]
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