The First Ladies

The theme of transcending social boundaries is integral to the novel for historical accuracy, conflict-creation, and character arcs. Given the historical period, there are social boundaries between the races and between male and female spaces. Throughout the novel, characters find way to transcend these boundaries in a way that weakens or dismantles them altogether.

When Eleanor and Mary’s friendship first begins, the ladies at the club luncheon are shocked that Sara Roosevelt and Eleanor would invite a Black woman to the event. By sitting with Mary, Eleanor shocks the women but slowly begins to normalize white and Black women being friends. As their friendship progresses, so do their symbolic acts of boundary-crossing. They shake hands in public. They are seen eating together. They attend functions together, and Eleanor joins the NAACP and attends functions Mary organizes for Black causes. Eleanor hosts Mary at her home, and Mary accepts an invitation to spend the night at Hyde Park, the Roosevelt’s New York home. Both women understand that being intentional about their friendship when they’re in the public eye does more to weaken these boundaries than lectures or laws.

There are also boundaries between male and female spaces. Eleanor is particularly uncomfortable in traditional roles of a politician’s wife.