59 pages • 1 hour read
Shana AbeAn American Beauty: A Novel of the Gilded Age Inspired by the True Story of Arabella Huntington Who Became the Richest Woman in the Country
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2023A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Symbols & Motifs
Gardens and Greenery
Gardens and greenery are a recurring motif throughout the book. Belle and Collis’s shared love for gardens is one of the first things they discuss when they meet at Yarrington House. This signals that despite their different backgrounds, Belle and Collis do share common ground in their roots and foundations. Their love for nature sets them apart from the rest of the New York elite, even at the height of their fortune and stature. Belle and Collis are equally uninterested in the dynamics of high society and are happy to spend their time at their rustic residence, The Homestead.
Belle’s green thumb also further signifies her pragmatic and grounded nature. Despite the extravagance of her life and the different temptations and obstacles that come her way, Belle remains in touch with reality throughout her life and makes decisions through careful consideration. Furthermore, Belle’s patience and perseverance in nurturing and growing a garden is reflected in how she builds a business and her own life with equal hard work and care. Relatedly, Belle’s skill with greenery is equally matched by her ability to beautify urban spaces as well, such as the many mansions she builds and redecorates over her life. Her equal ability in both areas represents Belle’s capacity to straddle different worlds with ease and find success in each of them through her natural talent and diligence.
Art
Arabella Huntington was a renowned art collector, with her acquisitions over her lifetime eventually going on to be housed in the Huntington Library and Art Gallery in San Marino, California (See: Background). Given this historical detail, art is an essential part of Belle’s story and forms a recurring motif throughout the book.
Belle begins collecting art in New York as soon as she has the funds to do so. Belle’s acquisition of art serves two functions for her: For one, it satisfies her aesthetic needs and desires. Having come from destitute beginnings, it is a personal measure of success for Belle that she is able to fill her home with the most exquisite and exclusive art. Relatedly, art is Belle’s way into New York high society. In the early 20th century, knowledge and appreciation of art was a marker of membership in the upper classes. Having both the taste to identify art and the means to acquire it becomes a kind of social capital for Belle. Furthermore, art offers an avenue of high society life that Belle is able to access by means of wealth, such as the fundraising event where she runs into Edward and Mary Alice. Thus, art as a motif signifies the theme of The Influence of Beauty and Wealth on Social Mobility.
Houses and Property
Along with collecting art, the other interest that Belle pursues with a deep passion is purchasing, building, and decorating multiple homes. Houses and property are a recurring motif in the book, and they take on varying symbolism at different times. Belle begins securing her own financial independence by buying properties in New York shortly after Archer’s birth. This is a well deliberated decision, as Belle determines through a conversation with her mother that property in the right location is the most secure form of wealth. Belle’s eagerness to own property stems from a deep desire to secure her and her family’s financial future. This points to Belle’s personal ambition, as explored in the theme The Tension Between Societal Expectation and Personal Ambition.
Additionally, Belle’s love for and skill at beautifying a home speaks to her desire for stability, beauty, and comfort in her own life. Especially because of the circumstances of her early life, when her family struggled to make ends meet on a daily basis, having a house in her own name and the means to do it up to her heart’s desire is a sign of the ultimate success for Belle. This is emphasized by the contrast between the luxurious residences Belle eventually owns and develops, and the bed she shares with her sister in the Yarrington House attic earlier in life. A house symbolizes success, stability, and security to Belle, and she pours her heart and soul into perfecting each one that she lives in.
