One of the aspects of Libra that I found fascinating was the astrology. Much like the conspiracy theories surrounding the JKF assassination that Libra engages with, it’s one of the things that we’re always told is objectively false, but sometimes seems scarily accurate anyways. And the astrology in Libra, whether coincidentally or not, fits right in with the plot. This element is first introduced when David Ferrie takes Lee to meet a man named Clay Shaw.
“When is your birthday?” Shaw said first thing.
“October eighteen,” Lee said.
“Libra. A Libran.”
“The Scales,” Ferrie said.
“The Balance,” Shaw said… “We have the positive Libran who has achieve self-mastery. He is well balanced, levelheaded, a sensible fellow respected by all. We have the negative Libran who is, let’s say, somewhat unsteady and impulsive. Easily, easily, easily influenced. Poised to make the dangerous leap. Either way, balance is the key.”
… “Do you believe in astrology?” Lee said.
“I believe in everything,” Ferrie told him. (315)
Lee seems to have more of the negative Libran in him than the positive. His domestic violence, self harm at Atsugi and in Russia, and multiple assassination attempts as well as his defecting to the USSR and then back to the US (and then attempting to get a visa to Cuba) show his instability and impulsive side. We also see multiple times how easily influenced Lee is, with a primary example being how none of the plots he’s involved with are his own idea. He shoots at Walker at Bobby’s suggestion, and only assassinates Kennedy because he’s gotten caught up in Mackey’s plot. He is also, in fact, poised to make a “dangerous leap” at this point in the novel--will he join the plot and shoot at Kennedy, or return to normal life (or as normal as life gets for Lee Harvey Oswald)?
Lee, interestingly enough, seems to see himself more as the positive Libran and would describe himself as having those personality traits as opposed to those of the negative Libran. In his mind, his erratic behavior--trying to defect to one country after another, shooting himself in the arm to try and stay in Atsugi, working as a double (triple? quadruple?) agent, etc.--is not only reflective of his balance and level-headedness, but part of a larger plan. He also has a deep desire to be remembered and respected by all. He imagines himself as a visionary and revolutionary--a hero, even--who is destined to become part of history, and always expects important people and institutions to notice and value him much more than they do (e.g. the KGB when he defects to Russia, the FBI and CIA when he returns to the US, Castro when he plans to defect to Cuba).
We do, however, see glimpses of the positive Libran in Lee from time to time. The domestic scenes right after his marriage to Marina, for example, show potential for someone balanced who is liked and respected.
I also looked online to try and learn a bit more about Librans. According to www.astrology-zodiac-signs.com, Librans
"...are peaceful, fair, and they hate being alone...these individuals are fascinated by balance and symmetry, they are in a constant chase for justice and equality...The sign of Libra is an air sign...giving these individuals constant mental stimuli, strong intellect and a keen mind. They will be inspired by good books, insurmountable discussions and people who have a lot to say. Each Libra representative has to be careful when talking to other people, for when they are forced to decide about something that is coming their way, or to choose sides, they suddenly realize that they might be in the wrong place and surrounded by wrong people."
This description fits Lee almost exactly. Well, he doesn’t seem that into peace unless it fits his agenda, but is passionate about justice and equality--being drawn to Communism because he is frustrated by the lack of justice and equality he has seen in the Capitalist system. The part about a strong intellect and being inspired by books immediately brought to mind the scenes where teenaged Lee pored over Das Kapital and The Communist Manifesto word by word, and the last few lines about being forced to make decisions is reflected in Lee’s involvement in the plot to assassinate Kennedy. He chooses the side of the plotters and goes along with their plan only to realize too late that he is being used.
Another interesting factoid is that Libras are often compatible with and tend to be drawn towards Geminis. Any guesses for which character/historical figure was a Gemini? John F. Kennedy. Coincidence? Probably, but who knows.
“When is your birthday?” Shaw said first thing.
“October eighteen,” Lee said.
“Libra. A Libran.”
“The Scales,” Ferrie said.
“The Balance,” Shaw said… “We have the positive Libran who has achieve self-mastery. He is well balanced, levelheaded, a sensible fellow respected by all. We have the negative Libran who is, let’s say, somewhat unsteady and impulsive. Easily, easily, easily influenced. Poised to make the dangerous leap. Either way, balance is the key.”
… “Do you believe in astrology?” Lee said.
“I believe in everything,” Ferrie told him. (315)
Lee seems to have more of the negative Libran in him than the positive. His domestic violence, self harm at Atsugi and in Russia, and multiple assassination attempts as well as his defecting to the USSR and then back to the US (and then attempting to get a visa to Cuba) show his instability and impulsive side. We also see multiple times how easily influenced Lee is, with a primary example being how none of the plots he’s involved with are his own idea. He shoots at Walker at Bobby’s suggestion, and only assassinates Kennedy because he’s gotten caught up in Mackey’s plot. He is also, in fact, poised to make a “dangerous leap” at this point in the novel--will he join the plot and shoot at Kennedy, or return to normal life (or as normal as life gets for Lee Harvey Oswald)?
Lee, interestingly enough, seems to see himself more as the positive Libran and would describe himself as having those personality traits as opposed to those of the negative Libran. In his mind, his erratic behavior--trying to defect to one country after another, shooting himself in the arm to try and stay in Atsugi, working as a double (triple? quadruple?) agent, etc.--is not only reflective of his balance and level-headedness, but part of a larger plan. He also has a deep desire to be remembered and respected by all. He imagines himself as a visionary and revolutionary--a hero, even--who is destined to become part of history, and always expects important people and institutions to notice and value him much more than they do (e.g. the KGB when he defects to Russia, the FBI and CIA when he returns to the US, Castro when he plans to defect to Cuba).
We do, however, see glimpses of the positive Libran in Lee from time to time. The domestic scenes right after his marriage to Marina, for example, show potential for someone balanced who is liked and respected.
I also looked online to try and learn a bit more about Librans. According to www.astrology-zodiac-signs.com, Librans
"...are peaceful, fair, and they hate being alone...these individuals are fascinated by balance and symmetry, they are in a constant chase for justice and equality...The sign of Libra is an air sign...giving these individuals constant mental stimuli, strong intellect and a keen mind. They will be inspired by good books, insurmountable discussions and people who have a lot to say. Each Libra representative has to be careful when talking to other people, for when they are forced to decide about something that is coming their way, or to choose sides, they suddenly realize that they might be in the wrong place and surrounded by wrong people."
This description fits Lee almost exactly. Well, he doesn’t seem that into peace unless it fits his agenda, but is passionate about justice and equality--being drawn to Communism because he is frustrated by the lack of justice and equality he has seen in the Capitalist system. The part about a strong intellect and being inspired by books immediately brought to mind the scenes where teenaged Lee pored over Das Kapital and The Communist Manifesto word by word, and the last few lines about being forced to make decisions is reflected in Lee’s involvement in the plot to assassinate Kennedy. He chooses the side of the plotters and goes along with their plan only to realize too late that he is being used.
Another interesting factoid is that Libras are often compatible with and tend to be drawn towards Geminis. Any guesses for which character/historical figure was a Gemini? John F. Kennedy. Coincidence? Probably, but who knows.
Wow, another coincidence! These coincidences have gotten way out of hand. It's interesting how much Lee actually lines up with Librans. I wonder how much JFK lines up with Geminis?
ReplyDeleteThis is really interesting. I don't really believe in astrology, but Lee fits Libra. I think that Lee's mom definitely sees Lee as positive Libra, too. She is still really invested in Lee and thinks of him positively even after he assassinated the president. It seems like she thinks that people are taking advantage of Lee's Libra-ness to make him be bad.
ReplyDeleteThis was a really cool post, Sophia! I think if Lee had grown u pin a different context and experience, he would've been more of the Libran he would like to be. But due to the circumstances and his own actions, he follows the "bad" Libran lifestyle and finds himself in the middle of Mackey's plot, as the scapegoat, when it is too late.
ReplyDeleteI've been wondering about the astrology of a few characters in the story, so this is a good place to mention them: Jack Ruby was a March 25 Aries. According to that same website, Aries are impulsive, aggressive, and passionate. That fits. And JFK as a two-faced twin is possible, but we don't really go into his personality in Libra. I think Lee as a Libra is fitting, but also the idea of "balance in everything" and the fact that everything can vary are crucial to understanding the history of this event and history in general.
ReplyDeleteNice post, I didn't really think too much about his sign after we discussed it in class but you bring up good points. I would say that maybe Lee is actually into peace, but he sees that as more of an outcome of communism.
ReplyDeleteI think astrology is an interesting thing to talk about in relation to the book, especially considering the way it talks about coincidences. I think that the idea behind the signs is for their descriptions to be broad enough to fit everybody that way it isn't unlikely they fit, and that is similar to all the similarities between Kennedy and Lee.
ReplyDelete