Lee Harvey Oswald's Characterization

We have quite a bit of time in the last few days of class discussing Lee’s characterization in the book. He is a really interesting character with some odd tendencies. His action often contradict each other in a way that makes you question them. For example, why would he join the US Marines if he was convinced that Marxism was the correct government for the world to operate under? His circumstances and situation are so unusual that he throws any conventional narrative out the window. There isn’t a clear agenda or plan behind everything he does in this time period, and he seems to just be making decisions in the moment. It doesn't help that he seems to have a hard time making friends and doesn’t really seem to fit in with any community. He seems out of place in New York, but later on when he moves to New Orleans, he still feels ostracized. This leads him to turn towards Russia and communism, but even there, while he doesn’t fit with the Marines, he doesn’t quite fit in with the Russian side either. He seems to be caught in the middle without a clear place in society.

Clearly, he is a character who does things that are sometimes inexplicable, and he is a perfect candidate to be the face for the assassination. It would be believable to the public that someone like Lee could attempt an assassination given his history and personality. He almost seems built for the role, as he seems to enjoy the fact that he is a staunch communist living in America. It gives him a sense of satisfaction to go against the public opinion and break convention just because he can. We see this side of Lee all the time as he seems to constantly needle people and instigate them. No matter where he goes, it seems like he takes pleasure in angering others with his comments. This characteristic in particular leads to a character who seems lost in the world, and it makes him a perfect target for the conspirators.

There is no doubt that his character is a very unique one so far in the book. He isn't easily explainable, we don't feel sympathy for him, and yet he doesn't seem like an inherently bad person. He has the tendency to get into arguments and fights and takes pleasure in it. Some of his actions just don't seem to make sense, he does things regardless of the consequences and without thinking about if he really wants to do them just in order to create arguments. It's almost like he started reading communist ideology in order to stand out from the everyday American. He seems like he lacks an identity, and that he desires an identity, no matter what he is known for. So far, Lee seems like a person who wants to be remembered, whatever it takes. 

Kevin and Rufus in Kindred

When we were discussing Kindred in class, we talked a lot about how Kevin reacted to the situation that him and Dana were placed in when he was taken to the past with her. Kevin sees the scene in early 19th century as a relief; he thinks that it is not as bad as some of the depictions of the time, and he willingly plays his role in the society. However, I think that given the circumstances, Kevin actually reacts for the most part in a reasonable way and the his reactions speak more to the disturbing qualities of human nature than his particular character flaws. We see Kevin in 1976 as at least somewhat progressive compared to the times, and he is mostly a nice person. However, when thrown into the context of the slavery era south, he makes insensitive remarks and seems a little out of touch with the true hardships the black slaves face. We can see this partially as a way that many southern whites could have justify slavery. Even if they had their qualms, from their point of view they spun the relationship to be mutually beneficial. This mentality helps normal people detach themselves from the brutality of the way they treat their slaves and allows them to go on living the way they do without dealing with the morality question constantly. Still, Kevin is true to his beliefs. After Dana returns to the present, Kevin goes up North, and he clearly risks his life to help some slaves escape, showing that he is still trying to help in any way possible. That shows strength that many people don’t have. When faced with a toxic situation, most humans tend to fall into step with the masses, especially when it benefits them. Everyone in Nazi Germany was probably not racist, but most went along with the Holocaust anyways while a few of them did what they could to help the Jews at risk to their own life. Kevin is at least in that crowd who is willing to risk his well being for the sake of his beliefs.



Throughout the book, Kevin and Rufus are compared and contrasted in a lot of ways, and it is insinuated at times that Kevin and Rufus are similar people. However, in the end, Rufus transforms into another brutal slave owner with no regard for the blacks. We can see the vicious cycle that keeps slavery in action through Rufus’ growth. Rufus isn’t born racist, and he seems to trust and respect Dana at least. However, he slowly becomes indoctrinated with the ideas of slavery and how he is the master. He feels the need to assert himself at times because he is constantly told that is what he has to be able to do. While Rufus seems like a poor example because he had Dana trying to help him see the truth about slavery, many slave owners were probably taught from a very young age the ideals that go along with slavery. If the same people were born in a different time to different parents, they could’ve been completely different characters with different views and opinions. I think that Kindred does a lot to expose the importance of context to how a person reacts. People will behave differently in different situations, and if someone is born into a southern household, they will most likely end up as a slave owner and a racist just because that is the culture they grew up in.