The trouble with fate is that it messes with causality. Lee began his work in the Depository before JFK was even scheduled to kill JFK, let alone drive right past the building. Yet, if Lee is fated to kill JFK, as Ferrie supposes, then that fact, occurring after the events that led to it, is whagt causes JFK to give Lee an opportunity. As The Doctor, of Doctor Who fame, puts it, "People assume that time is a strict progression of cause to effect, but actually from a non-linear, non-subjective viewpoint - it's more like a big ball of wibbly wobbly... time-y wimey... stuff." If anything, Ferrie seems to be in tune with this non-linear, non-subjective viewpoint. He taps into the consciousness surrounding Libra itself to know that things we may call coincidence because we have no better term for it are anything but. Why does Lee see a sign from the universe when his boss buys a few rifles immediately following his discussion with Ferrie?
And for that matter, why does Lee start "reading between the lines" of the leftist periodicals he receives? Of course Cuba and Russia are sending him secret, coded messages, aren't they? Really, Lee is close to delusional in the hype and excitement leading up to the culmination of the plot. Ferrie, likely unintentionally, feeds into Lee's latent narcissism and self-importance, convincing Lee to finally get out and do it. Never mind that Lee doesn't know there's plans behind his back, a second shooter, a bullet with his name on it in the dark theater. Neither does Ferrie, after all; these things aren't so paramount to "fate" as Lee's presence in the window on November 22.
So, if Lee is convinced to go through with his portion of the plot by fate and delusion, what makes Jack Ruby step up to the plate? We could talk about his fervent patriotism, the idea that people will love him for killing Lee Harvey Oswald. But, I think that's merely a subtext. Karlinsky is speaking without speaking in his conversation with Ruby. He mentions the people that want Lee Harvey Oswald dead outright, but he's more concerned about the people that want Lee dead, who don't want Leon to give up the game. Ruby, on the other hand, doesn't seem to have any passion in the killing of Oswald that one might think goes with killing a man patriotically. On his way to the event, he has to stop and wire one of his dancers money. He's running late. He's nervous. It all happens in a rush. The forces that be had set it in motion, and Ruby was just along for the ride.
Jack Ruby is concerned for his financial affairs. He is concerned for his future beyond the murder. Lee, on the other hand, may be concerned for his future, but that is the future of the assassination. He doesn't have plans for what he'll do following killing Kennedy. Ruby's first concern is what the state of his club will be while he's in prison (because, he knows he will go to prison, at the very least). We talk about Ferrie convincing Lee, but really Lee convinces Lee, and Ferrie is just there to see it happen. When we look at Ruby, Karlinsky is fully the one to convince Ruby to do the act. Ruby has no reason to be the man who kills Oswald other than Karlinsky has given him a good offer for what will happen afterwards. Talking about the patriotism, the love Ruby will receive for his act, is inconsequential. Fate doesn't direct his actions quite like it does Lee's.
But note how, in the novel, we see Jack employing the same kind of "magical thinking" as Lee ("If the door is unlocked, they want me to do it"), as if he's almost hoping for an excuse to get out of it to present itself. DeLillo taps into how, when we're about to do something big (not necessarily horrible or criminal--pro athletes, especially in baseball, are especially susceptible to this kind of thinking), there's a very strong inclination to perceive the world in terms of "signs." To plot is to make ourselves the center of the universe, in a sense--to try and control a range of uncontrollable circumstances. We want confirmation that the universe accepts this role we've assigned ourselves.
ReplyDelete(And the wiring of the money, of course, is a historical fact--it sure makes it seem like Ruby wasn't in any particular hurry to get to the police station. He indeed got there without a minute to spare. This can either look like total random chance or meticulous planning, depending on your disposition. DeLillo, once again, makes it seem like BOTH.)