4th Year
Question 4
Truth and history are not presented as objective realities in these novels, but rather as fragmented constructs shaped by interpretation, storytelling, and performance. Libra, Jazz and The Day of the Locust, as novels, destabilise traditional understandings of truth and reality. Each text blurs the lines between fact and fiction through intelligent, fragmented narration, provoking unreliable perspectives and, in turn, unstable identities. For example, Libra reconstructs political history through conspiracy, demonstrated in the media narratives and the crucial JFK assassination within the art of storytelling. Whilst Libra challenges the political narrative, Jazz reconstructs the emotional and cultural history of Harlem’s African American community, displayed through memory and oral storytelling. The Day of the Locust further portrays Hollywood as a world dominated by illusion and artificial performance. Each novel critiques a different aspect of American society. Libra challenges political history and institutional authority, Jazz explores memory and community, while The Day of the Locust critiques the artificiality of modern culture. All three novels portray truth and identity through unstable relationships shaped via the reader’s interpretation of the narrative rather than objective reality. Combined, these novels suggest that truth and identity are not objective or “stable” in and of themselves but are continually shaped through interpretation, narrative construction, and cultural experiences.
DeLillo destabilises official political history regarding JFK’s assassination through conspiracy and fragmented narration. The novel focuses on JFK’s assassination, Lee Harvey Oswald, CIA conspiracies and Cold War paranoia, presenting an alternative understanding of these events. DeLillo’s fragmented narration prevents readers from accessing a single authoritative account of events, reinforcing the novel’s argument that history is constructed through competing narratives rather than objective truth. Therefore, truth becomes difficult to establish because reality is shaped through competing narratives and institutional power. DeLillo, therefore, argues that history is portrayed and constructed rather than being objectively factual, further elucidating the notion that history isn’t certain.
Toni Morrison’s Jazz reconstructs history through memory, storytelling and emotional experience rather than objective historical documentation. In Jazz, Joe, Violet and Dorcas are shaped by generational trauma, migration and the changing environmental culture of Harlem, demonstrating how identity is continually reconstructed by surrounding influences and personal experiences. Instead of portraying the story in chronological order, Toni Morrison uses a non-linear narration structure to create both fragmented and shifting interpretations of reality. The narrator is unreliable and frequently revises earlier assumptions, creating multiple interpretations of events. Therefore, emotional truth in Jazz is more important than the factual accuracy of events, in which characters are interpreted through memory and storytelling. In contrast to DeLillo’s Libra, Morrison’s understanding of historical events is therefore constructed and shaped through the characters’ experiences, demonstrating narrative and emotional interpretation rather than the objective truth or certainty of history itself.
Nathanael West’s ‘The Day of the Locust’ portrays Hollywood as a superficial, performative environment dominated by illusions, spectacles, and the failed aspirations of thousands of individuals. Key characters such as Tod Hackett and Faye Greener illustrate West’s critique of a culture and environment obsessed with celebrity, fame, and the superficial success inherent in Hollywood. Faye is an example of the grandiose pursuit of stardom in Hollywood, built on the bones of thousands of failed actors and actresses, and lacking genuine talent or emotional depth, reflecting the volatility of Hollywood culture. Tod further exemplifies the emotional emptiness of the entertainment industry through his fascination with spectacle, fantasy and social decline. West uses grotesque imagery, exaggerated characters and the chaos of Hollywood, summarising through the novel’s concluding riot scene. As a result, Hollywood is distorted, with illusion replacing any form of authenticity, built on failed stardom, where performance shapes individual identity. West’s The Day of the Locust, therefore, critiques our society, in which fantasy and delusions of grandeur shape reality, resulting in an unstable identity and the collapse of authentic human connection.
Libra, Jazz and The Day of the Locust all explore separate narratives of American society and culture; the three novels reject the notion of ‘stable truth’ and the idea of objective reality. This is demonstrated through fragmented narration, deeply unstable identities, and blurred boundaries between fact and fiction, illustrating reality as a constructed and subjective experience. The differences between the three novels are explored separately. Libra uses political conspiracy, institutional power, and media manipulation to present history as fragmented and uncertain. Likewise, Jazz reconstructs both emotional and cultural history through memory, storytelling, and the fragmented perspectives of the main characters, demonstrating subjective, emotional truth rather than factual accounts. The Day of the Locust similarly portrays Hollywood as dominated by illusion, fantasy and grandiose ideals, where artificial performances distort what is “authentic reality”. Taken together, all three novels suggest that American society, identity, and history are far from authentic and are instead unstable constructions manipulated through interpretation, cultural experiences, and the performance of subjective experience in contrast to objective certainty.
In conclusion, Libra, Jazz and The Day of the Locust conflict with traditional accounts of truth, history and reality through fragmented narratives and unstable identities, blurring the boundary between fact and fiction. Although the three novels explore American society separately, they all depict how reality and identity are established through memory, media, storytelling, and performance rather than through factual or objective certainty. For example, Libra reconstructs political history through conspiracy and institutional power, recounting the assassination of JFK. Jazz explores emotional truth through memory and storytelling, demonstrating how personal experience shapes identity and history. The Day of the Locust illustrates the destabilisation of modern identity through illusion and spectacle within Hollywood culture, showing how grandiose ideals and fantasy distort authentic reality. Taken together, the three novels recount American society and tradition through fragmented constructions of identity, culture, and subjective experience, in contrast to fixed or objective truth.
QUESTION 3 – Deceit/Integrity and the American Dream
The American dream is deeply associated with opportunity, success, fulfilment and authenticity. The notions of Western society and capitalism are deeply ingrained in what it means to be an American, the “land of the free”, where anyone can achieve success through hard work and integrity, promoting individualism. However, most postmodern American novels lean away from these ideals by exposing the instability, deception and artificiality of the American dream, instead associating with the sharp inequalities within American capitalism. In The Day of the Locust, Nathanael West describes Hollywood’s subcultures through obsessive tendencies, the inconsistency of achieving success in production, celebrities and establishments rather than authenticity; it is built on illusions of success and attaining it remains elusive. Similarly, Don Delillo’s Libra challenges the reliability and authenticity of both political institutions and the historical truth, which may be tampered with. He reconstructs JFK’s assassination through conspiracy, media manipulation and the deceit of institutions. In contrast, Toni Morrison’s Jazz explores the fragmentation of identity and emotional truth, sharing subjective perspectives through storytelling, memory, and performance. All three novels, therefore, share similarities in their portrayal of the American Dream, establishing society as deeply deceptive, unstable, and performative. Illusion underpins American society, where genuine and authentic individuals are few and far between.
The Day of the Locust by Nathanael West portrays Hollywood as emotionally empty and artificial, in which identity is performative rather than genuine. The novel’s characters are detached from reality, consumed by the pursuit of success and wealth, yet Hollywood is built on the bones of failed actors and actresses. Character Tod Hackett illustrates West’s idea of Hollywood culture, built on spectacle and grandiose delusions, in which surface appearances take precedence over genuine encounters and experiences, thereby demonstrating Hollywood’s shallow environment. Alternatively, Faye Greener’s relentless pursuit of stardom despite her lack of talent exposes the emptiness of Hollywood’s promises, illustrating how the American Dream rewards performance and appearance rather than merit, as she obsessively pursues a film career to advance her social standing. Faye Greener’s attempt at success, therefore, reflects the broader culture of Hollywood, where personal worth is measured through wealth, status and social visibility rather than genuine human connection. West’s depiction of the American Dream is therefore conveyed through grotesque imagery and exaggerated personalities, illustrating Hollywood’s residents as disconnected from their identities and emotionally hollow. West’s continuous depictions of performance and fantasy show how individuals construct false and unstable identities in the pursuit of success, while genuine, authentic behaviours are near non-existent. West presents the Hollywood American Dream as nearly unattainable, a deceptive ideal of identity that depends on illusion and spectacle. West exposes the materialism and delusion that lie beneath Hollywood’s glamorous exterior.
Don DeLillo’s Libra critiques political and social manipulation and its impact on the stability of American identity. He successfully portrays this through the reconstruction of the assassination of John F. Kennedy. In doing so, DeLillo suggests that history is neither objective nor entirely factual. DeLillo therefore portrays reality as fragmented and vulnerable to manipulation, particularly via powerful institutions. Media narratives can therefore shape public understanding of political events. Through Lee Harvey Oswald, the novel explores an individual who searches for purpose and significance yet is continually shaped by powerful political institutions beyond his control. Oswald has a deep desire to leave a lasting mark on society, which makes him susceptible to manipulation, reflecting society’s identity issues and Oswald’s vulnerability to complex political and institutional systems. Furthermore, DeLillo challenges the notions of truth and conspiracy through the CIA conspiracy reconstructed through Nicholas Branch’s investigation and the intelligence operatives who aim to influence politics. The fragmented narration, which shifts among identity perspectives and employs deliberate ambiguity, prevents the reader from finding the objective truth about the assassination, thereby altering the historical record of the event. Media organisation narratives further obscure the truth and create instability by shaping the public’s understanding of JFK’s assassination, blurring the distinction between fact and interpretation, instead leaving the objective truth behind, and manipulating truth through conspiracy and media influence. The American Dream is destabilised as national identity fragments amid competing narratives and institutional manipulation, with reality increasingly shaped by institutional power and Libra’s unstable narratives. Institutional powers shape the public understanding of historical events, often swayed by conspiracy theories and the institution’s control over recorded events, a political illusion.
Jazz by Toni Morrison critiques the emotional instability and fractured identities evident in modern urban America. Located in Harlem during the Great Migration, Toni Morrison explores the characters Joe Trace, Violet Trace, and Dorcas Manfred, who, like many characters throughout American literature, attempt to reinvent themselves in pursuit of fulfilment, opportunity, and social belonging, yet all three display loneliness, trauma, and unfulfilled desires. Joe’s affair with Dorcas and the subsequent murder illustrate the destructive consequences of emotional dissatisfaction, whilst Violet’s behaviour depicts her own uncertainty regarding her identity and her low self-esteem. Morrison suggests that the migration to Harlem offers the possibility of both self-reinvention and social mobility but also provides a lack of genuine fulfilment. Through memory, storytelling, and nonlinear narration, Morrison continually shifts among her characters’ perspectives, blurring the concepts of past and present whilst demonstrating the instability of personal truths and authenticity. Characters Joe, Violet and Dorcas reconstruct their personal identities through the recollection of narratives yet remain fragmented and incomplete. Toni Morrison’s Jazz challenges the ideal of the American Dream by revealing the emotional inability to achieve aspirations of success and self-transformation. Morrison, therefore, presents fulfilment as elusive, despite continual attempts at reinvention and self-definition.
Although The Day of the Locust, Libra, and Jazz explore separate aspects of American society, all three novels portray the American Dream as dependent on illusion, instability, and performance rather than on integrity and authenticity. In The Day of the Locust, Hollywood’s obsession with celebrity success influences individuals to construct false identities in pursuit of fame. Libra, alternatively, depicts a society where truth itself is unstable, as political institutions, conspiracy theories, and media narratives shape public understanding of reality and manipulate perceptions of events. Morrison’s Jazz explores identity on a personal and emotional level, illustrating how individuals continually attempt to change and reinvent themselves through memory, personal relationships and storytelling, yet the core characters remain emotionally fragmented and dissatisfied. Although the novels have separate narratives, they maintain a critical view of American culture. West exposes the artificiality of the entertainment industry, DeLillo displays political manipulation and institutional power, while Morrison explores the emotional disillusionment that underlies personal self-transformation. Together, the three novels challenge the American Dream’s promise of success, fulfilment and authenticity, instead exposing a society shaped by illusion, instability and manipulation.
The Day of the Locust, Libra and Jazz individually challenge our traditional understanding of America and its American Dream by exposing the deep instability and deception America has to offer. Despite the novels focusing on separate aspects of American culture, including Hollywood, politics and urban life, they each reveal how identity, success and reality are shaped by illusion and deception, particularly through individual performance and manipulation by institutional powers. West critiques the artificiality and material consumer environment of celebrity culture; DeLillo exposes the influence of political institutions and conspiracy, whilst Morrison highlights the emotional fragmentation and personal reinvention that underpins modern urban life. Taken together, these novels suggest that the American Dream isn’t founded on integrity and authenticity but is built on unstable narratives and illusions that hide emotional, political, and social disappointment. Ultimately, the three novels present the American Dream as a fragile and deceptive ideal that promises fulfilment and authenticity yet rarely delivers either.
