How Atsugi matures Lee
Atsugi represents the point where Lee fully begins transitioning into the man we know him as. Despite being historical fiction, Libra feels much like a coming-of-age novel, just a remarkably unique one.
In Atsugi, Lee first starts to spread his wings of freedom, hits some of his life's canonical events, and exhibits the unique behaviors that define the rest of his life, and death.
One of the first things Lee does upon arriving in Atsugi is lose his virginity, in a bizarrely described scene where we can sense his inexperience. Yet throughout Atsugi he grows more comfortable in his body, maturing in a way that forecasts how he'll continue to develop throughout the novel.
Lee also finds his role as an outcast Marxist, but this time he actually feels like he has important information to share, his limited intel on the U.S.'s planes gives him something to spread. He meets Kono, an example of the older mentor figures that so influence Lee, and Lee feels like he's become important equals with him. He starts finding what seems to him like a meaningful role in history.
And, of course, Atsugi ends with Lee in his stubbornness. He shoots himself to try and stay in Atsugi, the, not for having an unauthorized gun but for fighting an officer over it, gets sent to the brig. He thinks of himself as important, as having a role in defying authorities, and further develops his desire to align with the Soviets. He acts stubborn and stupid and establishes the pattern for the rest of his life.
Before Atsugi, Lee's Marxism felt performative, borrowed from books and a desire to seem intellectual. However, Atsugi gives him something concrete: actual intelligence, actual secrets, and an actual Japanese contact, and mini father figure, who treats him seriously. For perhaps the first time, Lee's fantasy of being a significant historical figure collides with reality, even if just barely. This taste of genuine importance, however small, likely becomes intoxicating for him. It validates his delusions just enough to make them permanent, setting up the pattern where he'll keep chasing that feeling of mattering, of being someone history will remember. And, without a doubt, despite his means and failure to personally accomplish, he succeeds.
Hi Kyle, I can definitely see how Libra fits the conventions of a coming of age novel. I think that he manages to assert that what he believed previously is the right path for him. In my opinion, he doesn't quite change throughout the book rather he becomes more sure of himself as time goes on and this leads to him eventually killing JFK.
ReplyDeleteHey Kyle! I can't think of anything more performative than writing your diary as a piece of work for all of the future to read. Libra really did center a lot around Lee and his character, and thinking of it as a coming-of-age novel is kind of interesting, especially since his coming of age all seems to lead to his assassination of the president. He is so performative though, yet here we all are reading the pages of his diary out of this book all about him, isn't that ironic. Great post!
ReplyDeleteYES KING KYLE-UHHH!!! I really like how you describe Atsugi as a turning point for Lee—it makes sense that this is where his fantasies of importance start to feel real. I like how you pointed out that he gains real intelligence and a mentor figure, which validates his desire to matter. It’s interesting to see Libra as a kind of coming-of-age story, even though it leads to such dark consequences. THANK YOU THANK THANK YOU
ReplyDeleteI really like the idea of "In Atsugi" itself as a mini coming-of-age narrative for Lee. There are the usual kinds of rites of passage, as you note with the discomfiting scene in the Tokyo brothel, but we also have Lee straddling the traditional markers of maturity here, joining the Marines at 17 and turning 18 while enlisted. There's also the traditional idea that military service will "make you a man," or a term in the military as a kind of rite of passage. And he does start to reveal his tendency to want to be the center of attention--he loves the fact that Konno and Braunfels seem to believe he has access to some valuable intel, and he learns important but problematic lessons when he shoots himself in the arm and makes things happen through the extreme self-destructive event. And for all his delusional qualities, indeed the things he witnesses in that radar tower DO eventually have him talking directly to the KGB in the USSR, even being present for the historic interrogation of Francis Gary Powers. It's the period in the novel where his ambiguity--delusional yet also kind of "right"--starts to coalesce.
ReplyDeleteHi Kyle I definitely agree with your blog post. I think being put into the brig was one of the most transforming moments, as this was what he thought of as something all radicals went through, and in his mind I guess he matured through that process, even though it was for something trivial and stupid. Great job!
ReplyDeleteHI kyle!!! I really like your framing of Atsugi as a coming-of-age turning point in the novel, it makes a lot of sense to read this section as the moment where Lee’s abstract self-mythologizing starts to harden into something lived and irreversible
ReplyDeleteHi Kyle, the idea of Libra, especially the chapter In Atsugi, being a coming-of-age story for Lee is a really interesting thought. I agree that his time in the marines is the first "real-world experience" he has in comparison to his prior knowledge, which came from his attempts to read dense policitical and economic theory books that he definitely did not understand. Great blog!
ReplyDeleteWith the historical nature of the book, we know what Lee will do in the end, the curiosity is just how will he get there. As Lee becomes more mature and stronger in his skin, we see more and more how he is a likely shooter. I think the assassination attempt on general Walker is another big understanding moment, if not for Lee as he already has these ideas, but for the reader. It shows the reader that Lee is now ready to breach the boundaries that are necessary to shoot JFK.
ReplyDeleteHi kyle! I thought it was very interesting how you framed Atsugi as a turning point in an almost very dark coming-of-age moment for lee. Your point about his marxism changing to something that feels very "real" was very compelling! It gives a lot more historical importance to lee's later obsession. Great blog!!
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