LIGHTBULB MOMENT!
Yes...this looks JUST like me. Scarily so.
Many of the fans that Diana Gabaldon calls the anti-Frank crowd, site the phone calls from women that Claire receives, who tell her to leave Frank and their marriage, as proof of his infidelities. As I do NOT believe that Frank was a cheater, it just occurred to me why they may have called her: we know that 'everyone thinks she is having an affair with Joe Abernathy as they spend so much time together' (as Franks says in Voyager Chapter 19). This is why I believe these curious phone calls are either from:
1) women/students who are smitten by him and want her to leave with her lover and open the path to his heart/bedroom or a combination of both OR
2) women who simply admire him greatly and want her to leave with her scandalous black lover and stop shaming him and ruining his reputation...and making fool out of him.
This could also explain what he meant when he said being with, or having an affair with a black man was 'dangerous'. His saying that 'being overprotective of Bree was better than having her 'fucking a black' man sounds more like bitter jealousy, deep anger and real fear...and not racism. After all, he didn't say the 'N' word and racists certainly do and did, especially in those days. Nevertheless, many do say that this is the point they lose all respect for Frank. If they had any to begin with, that is.
I don't believe it is in Frank's honorable and decent character to be racist, even though racism was utterly commonplace in those days. In 'Leaf' we see Frank as a man of great character, intelligence and sympathy who can speak other languages (even if just a bit) and feels for the Jews and the soldiers of any ethnicity keenly. This hardly seems the type of man to harbour racist or prejudiced values.
I don't believe it is in Frank's honorable and decent character to be racist, even though racism was utterly commonplace in those days. In 'Leaf' we see Frank as a man of great character, intelligence and sympathy who can speak other languages (even if just a bit) and feels for the Jews and the soldiers of any ethnicity keenly. This hardly seems the type of man to harbour racist or prejudiced values.
Black and white couples could be and WERE beaten, jailed and murdered in those days and marriage was ABSOLUTELY out of the question. For example, In 1958, an interracial couple were torn from their beds at night in their own home and slammed into jail when the police discovered they had married.
*See this link: INTERRACIAL RELATIONSHIPS THAT CHANGED HISTORY
By 1966, things has improved but not by much (it wasn't until 1967 that all the States in America made interracial marriage legal)...as we can sadly attest to even today.
If Claire was thrown in jail because of her love affair with Joe, what would happen to Bree? Both of their reputations? Bree's future? What if things escalated and they were attacked or abused? And could it be that THAT was the reason he needed to go to England and take Bree with him...and even dare to hope Claire would follow?
Indeed it could. In fact, if we do find out later that Frank is not in fear for Bree's (AND Claire's?) safety because of his MI6 Secret Agent involvements concerning Time Travel and other nefarious reasons, it may be simply that he felt he had to save his daughter's reputation and shield her from the stain of her mother's shame and reckless love affair...again...just like he did in 1948.
So, in closing, let me reiterate, I do very much believe that Frank was/is not the racist he is thought to be (another red herring Diana? GAWD WOMAN...I am getting full! Can't eat herring again if I tried... *wink* ) and was really just worried for the safety and reputation of Brianna...and even of Claire, who we know he loved until his dying breath. He spent his life keeping them safe.
And this then begs the question, what does it say about us for jumping so quickly to the conclusion that someone saying 'a black man' in any kind of angry sentence is racist, without thinking about what else they could mean. Am I racist if I say 'I don't like Eskimo Pies'? Or, 'Hey Officer! That Ukrainian Canadian guy just stole my purse!'. Sometimes it is just a description for a specific purpose.
*and yes, I am Ukrainian Canadian and that guy who stole your purse was probably my brother. Sorry. He doesn't get out much.
Joking aside, it is terribly easy to fall into an opinion skewed by one's preconception of a character...but you can now see, I hope, that maybe the problem is with us, not Frank.
ADDED: Many thanks to Beth Trogdon Allen for this copy of Diana's opinion of Frank's perceived prejudice and racism, and why he is NOT either:
ADDED: Many thanks to Beth Trogdon Allen for this copy of Diana's opinion of Frank's perceived prejudice and racism, and why he is NOT either:
click to enlarge
**
Well said, girl. I hadn't thought of it in those words. Oh, you do jar us into thinking, sometimes for our own benefit ....no, if anyone was prejudice, it was Frank for thinking & saying that Claire & Joe were having a " thing". I understand being jealous of her time spent at the hospital but he had no proof that these rumors were true. Children don't save a marriage just as sex doesn't make " love" .
ReplyDeleteGreat Grandma: I don't think Frank was prejudice at all...prejudice, after all, means a 'preconceived opinion that is not based on reason'. Franks suspicions were not preconceived for no reason, they were the opposite , conceived for plenty of good reason! Claire and Joe spent so much time together, it started rumours....and that is cause and effect. Nothing PREconceived. Your way of thinking makes Claire 'prejudice' too, as SHR believed rumours about Frank with no proof...just suspicions. So no...I don't believe Frank or Claire are prejudiced. Just jealous, angry people whose marriage WAS saved by a child: no child, no more marriage. Frank might have just left. But the marriage saved was not one of True Love anymore....and that must have been an awful way to live ones life. Claire has Jamie in her heart and Frank had the Old Claire in his. Heartbreaking for both.
DeleteI agree that given the circumstances and the social setting of the time that he didn't say anything other than straight concern for those involved while some may have been concern for the open friendship she had with Abernathy. The only thing I disagree with here is that Franks was having an affair. It is indicated not just implied that Claire knew of his indiscretions and even indicated that he was going to leave her for one of them before he died. Good article in general though and really don't see why people wouldn't actually look at the context and the actual words he is saying in set context. Everyone just needs to relax a bit. :)
ReplyDeletegroovylolly: thanks for the comment. I belive you, however, like many...even most fans, have taken DG's red herrings to heart and forget that we only see Claire's POV and not Frank's, or any outsider. She believes that she knows about affairs between Frank and other women, but there is only her opinion, no facts that cannot have other explanations. If you look at my blog piece about those red herrings and Frank's possible reasons for letting Claire believe her suspicions, you will see that there is a VERY good chance that she is wrong...and Frank was just letting her think what she wanted, for her own protection (and maybe even a little revenge, as she DID sleep with and love another man remember, and have his child!). Diana has said that Frank was an honorable man and the tragic hero of the story...that should tell you something. Its does me. *but to be honest, I truly hope Frank DID screw his brains out now and then...he had a cold fish wife and little affection...who could blame him! Poor guy....but I fear he was too honest and decent to have any affair...and he loved Claire far too much. Time will tell...cheers!
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