Balance

Jack Ruby and Lee Harvey Oswald are undoubtably meant to have a connection in Libra. We see a kindred spirit in the two in the violence the two display--Oswald to his wife, Ruby to his patron. Both are ex-military men, although Ruby appears to have been much more loyal to the U.S. Oswald and Ruby both use fake names.

I think that DeLillo is trying to show the reader that Ruby is also a libra in spirit--trying to balance his darker emotions. We can see the violence that he is capable of displaying when he fights patrons or shoots Oswald ultimately, but we can see his softer side, toward his dogs and the like.

Perhaps if Oswald and Ruby had met under different conditions, they might have found a kindred spirit in each other.

Comments

  1. SophiaMay 15, 2018 at 8:46 AM

    Jack Ruby is actually an Aries, not a Libra (born March 25), but your argument still holds. Additionally, there is supposedly a stronger connection between Libra and Aries than between most zodiac signs--they are exactly opposite each other on the horoscope chart. According to the internet, this reflects either polarization and conflict between Libra and Aries, or the balancing of opposites.

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  2. UnknownMay 17, 2018 at 6:02 PM

    I totally got the opposite impression. I felt like if Jack had talked to Oswald before the attack he would have really been disgusted by many of Oswald's views and Oswald would have seen both a partial criminal and someone who really loves the police and government, something that he is extremely apposed to. I feel like you are right that their drives are similar, but exactly what makes them similar would cause them to fight when they found their difference in politics.

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