Shiman Zhang
Professor Matthew Bond
Engl 001C
5th June, 2021
Conspiracy theme in Libra
Libra is a historical fiction novel that gives his account of the assassination of John F.
Kennedy that was written by Don DeLillo in 1988. This novel primarily follows the life of a
character known as Oswald, from his early years up to his death. The novel combines both
fiction and history in an amazing form of symbiosis. The author has a very unique presentation
style of the fictional story represented as a historical thriller. The author uses the inspiration of
actual historical events and characters to develop a plot around them on what might have
happened in December 1963 in Dallas. Throughout the novel, the author is attentive to ensure
that politics and history play through by intermingling functional and real characters, and actual
and imagined events. Therefore, the main theme in this novel is the conspiracy that surrounds the
presidents assassination.
Don DeLillo is not a stranger to conspiracy, as he has written several other works with the
same themes including great jones street (1973) and running dog (1988). Several scholars have
tried to cover the importance of the conspiracy themes in the novel and our communities.
CHNANI et al. (50) believe that the conspiracy theme is a real-life interpretation in the
postmodern society that no longer believes in religion, although they want a desire to bring the
world into order. DeLillo uses the novel Libra to illustrate the absence of truth in this age of
knowledge and information and the problems it brings about. In the novel, he uses Kennedys
assassination to show how our culture yearns for closure and plots. Willman, (410) states that
when the society does not believe in the authorities or government, they create sorts of
conspiracies that will explain the situation. DeLillo illustrates a false dichotomy that brings about
illusions of security and therefore leading to an inadequate explanation of events. In the novel,
even with all the theories and documents, the characters are not closer to knowing the truth. The
character Nicholas branch reinforces the theory of conspiracy. He states If we are on the
outside, we assume a conspiracy is the perfect working of a scheme. Silent nameless men with
unadorned hearts. A conspiracy is everything that ordinary life is not. (DeLillo, 440)
Coale, (15) points out that our culture loves variety, possibility, and mystery, however, we
continue to search for answers and knowledge. DeLillo takes readers away from narratives that
provide answers and therefore offering a chance of possibility and chance to reign. Nicholas
branch is a character who plays as a theorist and researcher and is contracted by the FBI to find
answers about the assassination. As the novel starts, we are made to believe that branch also
believes that there is a chance of conspiracy. Branch comes to the conclusion that there is no
enough amount of evidence to prove whether Kennedys assassination theories were true or false.
DeLillo introduces the element of chance into the conspiracy surrounding Kennedys
assassination to show that there are things that are always out of our control. The most important
aspect of the conspiracy theme in this novel is how it shows the overall effect of conspiracy in
our communities and culture. Libra through the theme of conspiracy shows us how it has
impacted our communities to a level that we have cultural paranoia. Not getting the solutions or
answers about the events that happened in Dallas, leaves us with theories and conspiracies
pertaining to the assassination
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