E Lockhart's The Disreputable History Of Frankie Landau-Banks

The author of the book The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks, E. Lockhart weaves several core American values such as self-determination, individualism, and social mobility into the personality of his main character Frankie Landau-Banks. An example of the self-determination Frankie possesses can be found on page 314, “She will not be simple and sweet. She will not be what people tell her to be. That Bunny Rabbit is dead.” This is a moment where Frankie realizes that she is the only one who can tell her what to do and she was done apologizing for being who she is. The nickname “Bunny Rabbit” had reduced her to a child that must be told what to do and where to go, but as she grows throughout the book she sheds the restrictive title to be taken more seriously by those who surround her, finally demanding the respect she deserves.
Frankie discovers her frustration when her social mobility becomes restricted by those around her. She found that, “Being with him made Frankie feel squashed into a box - a box where she was expected to be sweet and sensitive (but not oversensitive); a box for young and pretty girls who were not as bright or as powerful as their boyfriends. A box for people who were not forces to
be reckoned with.” (p.288). Being told her limits is a personal pet peeve of Frankie’s and she becomes angry with her boyfriend when he tries to tell her who or what she can be. As a result of being underestimated by her boyfriend and others in general she starts to coordinate these grand pranks around school. Frankie hopes that these pranks will prove that she is a strong and intelligent girl who is not to be messed with or put in boxes. Frankie channels another core value, individualism, to find strength in herself during a breakup.
She decides, “It is better to be alone, she figures, than to be with someone who can't see who you are. It is better to lead than to follow.” (p.345). Frankie makes this empowering decision when her boyfriend breaks up with her. She did not let the breakup get to her and after a few days determined to cut out anyone in her life who tries to make her become someone she’s not. She realizes her attempts to fit into her boyfriend's crowd of friends were ridiculous and that she was not made to follow someone else’s way of life. Frankie uses her newfound inner strength to further take control of her life and create her own path during her remaining time at
school