Loving Frank

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2007

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Summary

Background

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Prologue-Part 1

Part 2, Chapters 15-24

Part 2, Chapters 25-32

Part 3, Chapters 33-44

Part 3, Chapter 45-Afterword

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Tools

Beta

Discussion Questions

Symbols & Motifs

Nature

A key characteristic of Frank Lloyd Wright’s architecture is the way he approaches the relationship between buildings and nature. His innovative approaches to organic architecture separated him from his peers, even to the point of leaving school because he was unable to discuss his ideas freely. Being able to move freely between nature and home is a recurring motif in Loving Frank, as Frank and Mamah wrestle with their inner nature and who they are at home.

The first time Mamah and Frank discuss organic architecture, it is in nature, as they go to a prairie outside of Oak Park. The fact that they commence the explicit nature of their relationship outside foreshadows their future together, living in Taliesin. The house, designed by Frank as per his organic style, provides a space in which they can be themselves. They each feel smothered by their spouses and children, and being together—being in nature—provides much needed peace. When Frank describes Taliesin, he says, “You’ll walk from indoor room to outdoor room and never even feel where the house ends and the fresh air begins” (158). Similarly, he and Mamah live without the boundaries of societal expectations and norms, and in ignoring these boundaries, they are able to be their true selves. Just as Frank is criticized for his focus on nature in his art, he is criticized for his defiance of marriage in his affair with Mamah.

Beautiful Art and Items

As an architect, Frank was known for the holistic nature of his designs, in which he would even design furniture to match his buildings. Consistency was key to his approach to the world. He enjoyed the aesthetic beauty of such pairings, and this is true in his own life as well. As a result, beautiful art and items are a recurring motif throughout the novel. Early in their relationship, Frank explains to Mamah that “[b]eautiful objects stimulate [him], they inspire [him]” (166). In some ways, he is also talking about Mamah herself, as he frequently cites her as his muse. He uses beauty to fuel his world and also uses it as a crutch—such as when he buys new furniture despite his debts. Mamah eventually forces Frank to control his impulse under threat of leaving as his so-called muse.

At the end of the novel, Frank salvages some of the beautiful things from the half-burned Taliesin—including glass and pottery. When he tells foreman Billy that he wants to use these shattered pieces in the foundation for a new Taliesin, he means this symbolically as well, that he will use what once was beautiful to craft a new home for himself.

Translation

Mamah spends much of the novel working as a translator for philosopher Ellen Key. She has a gift for languages, one that even her friend Mattie references when Mamah visits her. She constantly wrestles with the idea of ideas being transformed in the process of translating, often ending up in a different place from where they began. For example, Mamah convinces Ellen to bring her work to an American audience, and the translation process depends on both literal words and the context of a given language (in this case, the translation of Swedish to English). Likewise, Mamah herself is constantly translating her life for others, as they attempt to parse her decisions. In the end, as the translator of her life, she alone decides what her life means.

As a literal translator, Mamah finds that “something very much like ecstasy [comes] over her” whenever she encounters a new work (153). The joy she feels when translating is a reminder that she is capable of a life in which she provides for herself; like her mastery of languages, she ends up traveling the world rather than contained to one place. Despite practicing anonymity, Mamah boldly determines what she wishes to translate for others. As the person in charge of advocating for Ellen’s work, she holds power and knows she can “drag her heels on translating it” or “tell Ellen no editor wanted it” (264). Ultimately, translation empowers her, providing a vehicle through which she can navigate her changing circumstances.