Cleopatra and Frankenstein

Though their fight in the countryside doesn’t lead to resolution, Cleo and Frank finally confront their resentments for one another head-on. The countryside juxtaposes the turmoil boiling inside both Cleo and Frank. This is the beginning of the denouement, when a novel’s conflict is resolved.

Cleo exposes how she resents Frank and is disappointed by him. She believes that Frank could have been her happily ever after, but that he proved to be just as self-destructive as the other people in her life. Frank was supposed to be solid, but he turned out to be as broken as everyone else and refused to change for the sake of their relationship. From Cleo’s perspective, Frank selfishly prioritized his drinking over forming a true partnership. Frank and Cleo’s marriage didn’t change Frank’s life—he continued to party and work in an endless cycle. For Cleo, this reminds her of other men in her life, such as her father, who put their own pleasures before their responsibilities to the people they were supposed to love.

Frank also exposes his resentments. From Frank’s perspective, Cleo is ungrateful. She doesn’t understand the amount of work he does and the stress he’s under. Frank has worked tirelessly and sacrificed his own artistic dreams to create a lucrative life that keeps him secure. Cleo’s judgment of his lifestyle feels less like concern and more like a lack of gratitude. For Frank, Cleo’s dissatisfaction cuts too close to Frank’s manhood and his sense of self. He tries to make sure that everyone in his life is taken care of, and feels impotent when he’s not enough.

Cleo and Frank have different stresses. Due to his age and standing in his career, Frank has a lot to lose. For Cleo, her life is truly just beginning. She doesn’t know what her future holds and this is simultaneously scary and exciting. The novel suggests that Cleo needs to find a way to be independent and rely on herself and that Frank needs to find a deeper sense of self-security apart from money and providing for those he loves.

Zoe undergoes her own transformative experience. She needs money, but recognizes that her brother is too traumatized by his recent break-up with Cleo to handle any more pressure. Zoe’s been fired from her job at the boutique for stealing, and because she lacks experience fending for herself, she joins an escort service to make a lot of money quickly. This is Zoe’s way of finally trying to take responsibility.

Jiro, the man Zoe meets on the escort website, is kind to her. He also challenges her to be a better person. Their argument about race highlights that Zoe has been living in a bubble. This is an important moment in Zoe’s character development. However, in some ways things have stayed the same: She replaces one male financier, Frank, with another, Jiro. This brings into question how Zoe will learn to be independent. Just as Cleo doesn’t have the skills to fend for herself, Zoe hasn’t had to figure out how to rely on herself for money and security. She repeats the stereotypical cycle of turning to wealthy men for help—financially and emotionally.

Cleo both grows and struggles in the final section. She wants to prove to Frank that she’s doing well, highlighting that her relationship with Frank, though over, lacks resolution. She attends her ex-boyfriend’s big art show. He’s become a big deal in the art world, which makes Cleo envious and remember that she’s lost her purpose. At the art show, she gets drunk and consumes drugs. She pours a bucket of ice over Anders’s head. In some ways, this moment is victorious: Cleo has so little autonomy and power over the rich men in her life, and this is a way of asserting herself. On the other hand, she is being petty and immature. It makes Anders feel sorry for her, and Cleo is tired of men’s pity.

The night is another rock bottom for Cleo. However, it is a rock bottom that she can learn from. She learns that her ex is not happy even though he’s successful, yet another example of how Money Does Not Bring Happiness. It makes Cleo rethink what will make her happy.

Eleanor’s character suggests the path that Cleo needs to take. Eleanor had quit her job at Frank’s agency because being close to him was painful. She respects boundaries, and she respects herself enough not to engage in an affair with a married man. Through her, the novel explores the importance of finding yourself without a man’s influence.

Eleanor also undergoes character development in this section. The death of her father teaches her that she must live for the moment and for her future. Death pushes her to be more open to possibility. When she finds out that Frank and Cleo are broken up, Eleanor decides to take a chance on her own happiness by reaching out to Frank. They quickly enter into a relationship, but Frank is newly sober and therefore has a clearer perspective on what he needs out of a partnership. They are slow with their sexual connection because Frank wants to know what love is without the superficiality of sex.

Eleanor proves to be a steady influence in Frank’s life. She supports his sobriety and enables him to be better. Frank starts to rely on Eleanor and her mother as the family he’s never had but always wanted. Eleanor and Frank get their happy ending because they build a partnership that is based on trust, intellect, humor, and hope.

Frank’s sobriety is a major moment of his character development. Crucially, he doesn’t get sober for Cleo—he gets sober for himself. This means that Frank is changing for the right reasons. He seeks out help on his own, determined to make an improved version of himself. Frank starts to meet his own potential, which makes him a better partner for Eleanor.

Cleo also gets a version of her own happy ending, moving to Rome on an art fellowship. Getting out of New York proves crucial for her character development. As much as she thought New York would be the mecca for her art career, it is too embroiled in superficiality. In Rome, Cleo gets a second chance to meet people and separate herself from the toxicity of her relationships with people in New York. In recommitting herself to her art, Cleo reconstructs her sense of self, Finding Purpose in Life.

Frank visits Cleo on Eleanor’s advice to gain closure. With time and distance, Frank and Cleo both come to terms with the fact that their love for one another was never going to work because they didn’t love themselves. Frank promises to be there for Cleo, and proves to not be yet another man who uses and leaves her. Cleo will still have a family in Frank, even with their divorce. Furthermore, this gives Frank closure because he fulfills his responsibility to Cleo. In confronting their problems and resolving their resentments, Frank proves that he can be a stable presence for Cleo. This means that their love, while short-lived, was not meaningless.