Individual vs. Society

Where it surfaces

• Folly Cove

  The child's vibrant inner world clashes with the gray, unimaginative routine of primary school, which dulls his faculties and ignores his imagination.

• II

  Louis's nonconformity in school, his boredom with the system, and his preference for the concrete over the abstract reflect his independent nature against societal expectations.

• Boston

  Louis feels suffocated by Boston's crowded, aimless streets and rebels against the oppressive school system.

• VII: Boston

  Louis's decision to pursue architecture against his father's farming proposal and his emotional response to the veterans' parade reflect his individual path within societal expectations.

• X: Farewell to Boston

  Louis observes social hypocrisy and caste, influenced by his mother's vehement contempt for pretense, and asserts his own will in seeking employment with Furness.

• XI: Chicago

  Louis reflects on the word 'personality' and its varied meanings, and observes Chicago's collective ambition versus his own personal vision.

• Paris

  Sullivan feels increasingly solitary, realizing he must leave the collective culture of Paris to pursue his own vision.

• Face to Face

  Sullivan contrasts the 'feudal' denial of man with a democratic vision where the individual's ego and powers are recognized and harmonized into a stable, collective civilization.

• Retrospect

  Sullivan critiques the architectural profession's embrace of eclecticism and the World's Fair's influence, advocating for a return to common sense and human sympathy.

• Retrospect

  The tall building's social significance is paramount; Sullivan warns of its 'menace and danger' under feudal capitalism, and laments the crowd's passive reception of the Fair's classical revivalism.