Oswald's Narcissism
DeLillo refers to Lee Harvey Oswald’s smirk multiple times throughout the novel. Oswald is additionally accompanied by his notorious facial expression in several photographs, one of the most famous examples being his mugshot, photographed the day after Kennedy’s assassination.
In the scene when Oswald walks into Banister’s office to inquire about a position with the firm, he is identified by his “little smile that seemed to say, Here I am—just the fellow you’ve been waiting for” (DeLillo 130). DeLillo’s characterization of Oswald’s smirk mirrors the way in which Oswald views himself—just the fellow everyone has been waiting for, bound for greatness and glory.
Oswald is deeply obsessed with the notion of his superiority and importance. In other words, he’s a huge narcissist. Even in high school, he spends hours in the library, seeking out advanced books for the pure purpose of feeling intellectually superior to his classmates. Given his young age combined with some form of dyslexia, he isn’t even able to comprehend the dense political and economic theory he is “reading,” as DeLillo notes that “he had to fight to make some elementary sense of what he read” (34). Lee is mostly pleased with the idea itself that he is interested in subjects like these, while his classmates “had their civics and home economics” (33).
Lee’s narcissism is similarly reflected when he attempts to defect to the USSR. On the morning of the occasion, Oswald carefully gets ready for his big day, and pauses to dramatically look at himself in the mirror, with DeLillo declaring, “He was a man in history now” (149). Yet, when he attempts to apply for citizenship, explaining his backstory and “what it meant for him to live in the Soviet Union,” Oswald is met with rejection. The moment he envisioned, in which the Soviets would admire and glorify him for his defection, is shattered. Lee is so destroyed by the news that he makes the immediate decision to end his life. Even in the following moments, between descriptions of his attempt to kill himself, Lee’s narcissism is still present. He imagines “hurried calls to officials at their homes” and “hurried calls to Texas,” demonstrating his never-ending desire for attention (152).
Hi Lena, I agree that Oswald has many narcissistic traits. He keeps believing that everything he does is for a higher purpose such as when he believes he is standing up for his rights when a mechanic doesn't fix his gun in a prompt manner. His end goal of ending up in history also shows how he wants attention and to be known, which leaves a bad taste in my mouth.
ReplyDeleteHi Lena, I completely agree with you on Oswald's narcissism. Throughout the story, I feel like he's a character full of enigmatic contradictions that just don't reconcile (ex., he is a fervent communist yet is also fascinated with US marines). Interestingly, being narcissistic and attention-seeking are like a few of the only traits he had consistently throughout, which I think says a lot about his psyche. Great post :D
ReplyDeleteHi Lena, I agree that Oswald does have many narcissistic traits. Throughout the book, it seems to him that his existence alone is a showing of high importance and powe,r and him causing destruction or discomfort will make him important. Him assasinating Kennedy was a showing of him completing his end goal, ending up in some line of history.
ReplyDeleteAs with everything else Oswald-related, his smirk carries some ambiguity: as his teenage buddy Robert observes, you can't tell if he's actually smiling or if it's some odd tic he can't control. So as with everything else, either this is just his "resting smirk face" OR he is arrogant, even narcissistic in his insistence that he knows something you don't know. And of course, when we look at that mug shot from 11/23/63, it's hard not to wonder what that smirk might be hiding--he's "just the guy we're looking for," but he's only going to be alive for a few more hours, and we'll never get behind the facade to know what the ambiguous smirk conceals. Whatever our opinions of Lee and his personality disorders, it's impossible not to be fascinated by what he knows at the moment that mug shot was taken, what he is planning to tell, and what he won't tell.
ReplyDeleteYour diagnosis of Lee's narcissism is sure driven home in DeLillo's imagining of Lee in his cell after his arrest, when he vows to "name every name," and then wonders if he might instead cast himself as a lone gunman. "He could play it either way." He's looking forward to writing his book, to being interviewed by all the people fascinated by him. He has found his "life's work," and appropriately for a narcissist, it means studying "Lee Harvey Oswald."
Hey Lena!! This is a clear and insightful analysis of DeLillo’s portrayal of Oswald. I like how you show that his recurring smirk isn’t just a facial expression, but reflects his narcissism and sense of self-importance.
ReplyDeleteHi Lena, well written post! I would agree that Lee is very narcissistic, and that his smirk carries that. And I mostly agree that Lee dives into advanced books as a kid to feel "intellectually superior," but I also feel like some aspect of the books appealed to him more fundamentally and shaped his ideology and future actions.
ReplyDeleteI think Lee's narcissism is best shown in his notebook were he expects future historians to study it and him. Although he is right, it does not take away from the fact that writing in your personal journal for the soul purpose of becoming a man in history is incredibly self-centered.
ReplyDeleteHello Lena! I think that Oswald is narcissistic, and he highlights it by his smirk. I think he knows the power behind his smirk. He thinks of himself as very important and the smirk adds the the effect, in every situation it looks like he's hiding something or he knows more that he should.
ReplyDeleteGood Job!
Hi Lena! I think you have some important analysis of Oswald’s character written in your post. I think it is super interesting that Oswald found himself happy when he was reading those advanced book, even though he didn’t know what he was reading. His narcissism, although a constant in the book, really shines through here, as he compares himself on a very surface level (but I’m guessing he didn’t think it was surface level) to all the people around him, and no matter the truth, he puts himself on top even if he’s lying to himself. Great post!
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