Delusional Lee

We see early on in Libra that Lee is incredibly interested in Communism. He devotes painstaking effort in reading Das Kaptial, The Communist Manifesto, going word by word, believing that "the tougher the book, the more firmly he fixed a distance between himself and others." And it does set a distance between him and everyone else - he's a Communist in a capitalist nation, and he acknowledges it. But he doesn't seem to fully understand what that entails.

Lee is young - a teenager, barely brushing his twenties as we follow his story - and still holds fantasies in which he joins a Communist pod and goes on missions leaping roof to roof like a spy in an action movie. It's not that we don't understand Lee's fantasies, but he seems to be overly immersed in him fantasies and expectations, not really seeing the world around him for what it is. Yes, Lee sees that he is a Communist among a bunch of anti-Communist capitalists, but he still brags and is visibly proud of his Communist beliefs without realizing the consequences. Rather, he does consider the consequences, but utterly romanticizes them. Jail? Great! I'll just be like Stalin and Lenin, thinking deep thoughts in my jail cell and having an old wise man teach me life lessons!

As a child, these fantasies are simply fantasies. The problem is once Lee has become a young man and is in the Marines. His ramblings about Communism may not be able to be written off as simply a child with a new hobby. His fantasies also have a possibility of becoming a reality. As a legal adult, he is capable of making his own decisions - like finding a Russian tutor and having her help him defect to the USSR. But he needs to get more information on the U-2 spy plane, which could land him in big trouble if he is caught. He's so blinded by his delusions and the promises of Communism which he read in Das Kapital and other texts that he's willing to take the risk he doesn't fully realize exists.

We know that Lee will eventually return from the USSR when his delusions are broken after being sent to work in a factory. But, I wonder to what extent he has woken up from his fantasies. Seeing the direction that DeLillo is going, the character Lee most likely ends up shooting JFK because he still holds on to some of those delusions. But what delusions does he still hold on to? What exactly broke through to reality, and how? Thoughts?

Dana and Rufus

Starting in 'The Fight,' Rufus does many things, such as systematically raping Alice, that we modern people would consider despicable. Dana thinks similarly to us, but she cannot completely hate him for his actions. Dana's relationship to Rufus is complex - she is his descendant and is also somewhat of a mother figure to him, yet Rufus does not consider her an equal because of her skin color. This problem only grows as the novel progresses and Rufus gets older and more tainted by the norms of his time. 

It seems that Dana is not able to completely understand that Rufus is unable to see her as an equal, even if she is from the future and repeatedly saved his life. Dana continues to trust him, saying that he wouldn't do such and such things, yet when it comes down to it he betrays her trust. When these moments happen, Dana's attitude towards Rufus is like a mother toward her child - chiding and disappointed. For instance, when Dana confronts Rufus about not mailing out the letters, she asks him why, and forgives him yet again upon realizing how much he confides in her and needs her. 

However, as Rufus grows up, his attitude towards her gets increasingly worse. Blackmailing her to convince her to send Alice to him to get raped, ordering her around like a slave, and sending her to the fields as punishment for not saving his father. And Dana starts to realize that Rufus is a product of his environment. He was raised being taught that whites were better than blacks, and that blacks were essentially sub-human -- they were tools. Although Rufus is slightly detached from his time for 'loving' a black woman and 'doting' on their children, he still is very much a privileged white man who is used to getting what he wants. When he doesn't get what he wants, the punishment is harsh. It gets bad enough that Dana harms herself to go back to her own time. 

I have a feeling that Dana and Rufus' relationship is going to continue going downhill. Although I doubt that it will get to a point like Rufus and Alice's relationship as Dana cares for Rufus like a mother would and Rufus has some semblance of the emotion of a son towards a parent, after Rufus hits Dana at the end of 'The Storm,' a link of trust between them is severed, and it would be difficult to repair. Thoughts?