Libra-Truth, Paranoia and The Construction of Reality

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Libra, by Don DeLillo

Truth and Paranoia 

by: Pedro Oliveira de Miranda


   


 An interesting factor, possible to be noticed in Libra is that the book does not really focus on trying to discover who in fact killed John F Kennedy, but instead, the narrative tries to give us a glimpse of whether the truth can be really known by someone. Just like in Rag Time, DeLillo creates a fragmented plot that mirrors the chaotic character which surrounds historical events. As a reader (and a non  native English speaker), this style made me a little uncomfortable while reading and understanding what the book is really about, but that made me realize that in Libra, lack of coherence is not an issue to be solved; it is the main point of the narrative.

    Certainly, the element that most stood out in the book was the constant presence of Paranoia. Characters, like Lee Oswald, often believe that every action is connected with a larger/bigger plan. It might seem strange at first, but by analyzing the historical context of the cold war, is understandable that this legion of conspiracy theories would mark the narrative. The fear of secrecy, surveillance and manipulation makes the paranoia feeling almost unavoidable. This constant paranoia, is intentionally positioned by the author to create this sense of immersion on the reader and as a perfect reader example, I frequently caught my self trying to connect elements and events that happened in the plot to create my own theories and perspective of what was happening in that part of the book, and sincerely that shows what Libra is really about. 

    Focusing a little bit more on one of the central characters in the book, Lee Harvey Oswald was portrayed in a deeply human and unsettling way. Instead of being represented as a common fiction villain, Lee is treated in the plot as someone that is genuinely searching for purpose, identity and recognition. DeLillo, made this choice for this character in order for the readers to resist doing "easy judgments" about Oswald and also avoid condemning him in an early perspective without understanding what elements constructed his personality until he did the assassination, and to be honest, this style of character development made me understand how easily a common person could become involved in major historical events, just like what Lee Oswald did.

    By the end of Libra, I was surely left with more questions than answers, not just me but also every reader who has ventured into reading the book, and as discussed in the blog I believe this is totally intentional. DeLillo, tried to imply with the uncertainty, frequent paranoia and fragmented narrative that history is not always truth and linear, but instead it is a mixture of historical events and perspectives both shaped by memories, power and, sometimes, misinterpretations. Finally, is important to understand that Libra does not offer a certain closure of the narrative, but it does generates reflection and unsettling paranoia (even on the reader), making it a powerful and thought provoking reading-experience.

Works Cited

DeLillo, Don. Libra. Penguin Books, 1988.

Comments

  1. MahdiDecember 22, 2025 at 7:52 PM

    Hey Pedro, I really liked your point on how DeLillo portrayed Oswald as a pretty normal guy for the most part who, in an almost unsettlingly way, managed to make his name known to history forever. Remembering that Lee was a real person, it's kind of crazy that he was one of the first US defectors to the USSR, he took a shot at General Walker, and that he (maybe) killed JFK. On your note regarding Paranoia, I agree that it's used in the novel to make the plot more difficult to understand, which prompts the reader to make theories of their own. Overall, great post!

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  2. MitchellJanuary 4, 2026 at 11:06 AM

    I agree with your main point--that this novel is remarkably open to the idea that a final and authoritative historical narrative might ultimately be out of reach, and that DeLillo is in many ways comfortable with this fact, as he simply inserts "placeholders" where he needs them to make the story hang together. The lack of coherence IS the "point" in a lot of ways, and that's primarily Nicholas Branch's role: in the end, we leave him in despair that he will ever be able to complete his task. Even the "official" secret CIA historian with unfettered access can't piece together a coherent plot that takes into account all the contradictory evidence.

    And yet it's also interesting that DeLillo manages to construct a pretty airtight narrative out of these same "raw materials," with the added fictional level that all the made-up stuff in the novel is "justified" through Branch's records. So in a characteristically postmodern way, the novel is BOTH very open to the contingency of all historical truth AND audaciously confident in its own fictional narrative AS a plausible and true reconstruction of unprovable history.

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  3. AldoJanuary 4, 2026 at 1:07 PM

    I like how you explore the extreme lack of clarity or universal truth in Libra. It's interesting how a book published multiple decades after the events it describes is still unable, in many places, to provide a definitive account of its source material. Even more interesting is how it draws you, the reader, into the mindset of a conspiracy theorist through this lack of clarity. Most books are read with the assumption that they are composed of facts, but Libra throws all that out the window. Despite that, I agree that the lack of clarity in Libra actually makes it more immersive.

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  4. PennyJanuary 7, 2026 at 6:29 PM

    Hey Pedro, I also found the paranoid undertones of the novel interesting-- like the author is sort of telling us to look out for a broader narrative, while also commenting on the postmodernism of history and the questioning of facts in general. Like Branch, we don't really know what's happening by the end of the book, but it definitely feels kind of coherent in some ways, and your post does an amazing job depicting that.

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  5. Olly EarlsJanuary 12, 2026 at 9:24 AM

    Great post Pedro! I think the point you made at the beginning of your analysis sticks with me the most; I completely agree that Libra is best appreciated when you acknowledge that it isn't in any way easy to understand. This aspect of the novel mirrors the events surrounding the Kennedy assassination and effect they had on the public very well. I was definitely frustrated at a few points during our analysis of Libra, but once I accepted that I may not grasp exactly what was going on at every point in the novel, I was able to appreciate its contents and commentary much more.

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