Lee's desire to be historically relevant
Throughout the novel, I always found the extent to which Lee dramatized everything in his life interesting. First, one can consider his outlook on his own life. He easily falls into the works of Marx and dramatizes the impact he can make on the world. After reading these works, he has the confidence that he will become a part of history. At the same time though, he dramatizes the larger context of the situation in Cuba, for example. At the end of the day, his actions do not reflect his desires of the present time, but more of his infamy after he dies. He values his reputation more than his life, and that may be part of why he is so willing to put himself in dangerous situations. Parts of his character can be traced back to his earlier portions of life (which we see at the beginning of the novel). He has an obsession with riding the New York City subways back and forth. This shows how easy it is for him to fall into these trends, whether it's meditative or to learn more. He v...