Materials remind us where we've been

Initially, I was very confused by the story. Once I continued reading, however, I began to notice the metaphors and analogies that Delillo uses help put what Jack says into perspective. I picked out three instances where I felt that Jack uses these analogies to describe how he views the concept of history.
"...Things, boxes. Why do these possessions carry such sorrowful weight? There is a darkness attached to them, a foreboding. They make me wary not of personal failure and defeat but of something more general, something large in scope and content." (p. 6)
Here I think he is regarding history as material-things that we see around us that force us to reminisce, often in the bad portions. This is Hegelian, in the sense that both Jack and Babette have remnants of their past, failed relationships, but have both moved away from them and toward each other, working together in a new direction that will ultimately bring them closer to finding their true happiness.

"They watched him with something like awe. Nearly seven straight hours of crying." (p. 79)
This quote reminded me of discussing Hitler and how he created presence and was able to be seen as a strong leader. This chapter focuses on a crying child who dictates how his mother spends her day, and when he stopped everyone was very careful not to upset him. Its like if he did enough to them that he was in control, they would have no choice. I think Jack sees history in this way as well-those who are willing to be that sort of presence to people will be able to control them (like Hitler).

"I want to believe he lay in his tent, wrapped in animal skins, as in some internationally financed epic movie, and said brave cruel things to his aides and retainers. No weakening of the spirit. No sense of the irony of human existence, that we are the highest form of life on earth and yet ineffably sad because we know what no other animal knows, that we must die." (p. 98-99)
I found this quote interesting because it brought me outside of the box and got me thinking about death. Jack sees death as a terrifying thing-we see this throughout the first portion of the book. I think it relates to historiography because he references movies and unwavering strength and courage. Its how he has been taught to view handling this situation and so feels that his lack of courage in death is wrong and maybe even shameful.