Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
The Enduring Impact of Trauma
Shame and the Stigmatization of Pain
Projection and Denial
The Vicious Circle of Isolation and Social Awkwardness
Summary
Analysis
Eleanor feels calm as she rides the bus to work on Friday morning. She remembers that she didn’t drink after her talk with Mummy, though this was mostly because she didn’t have any alcohol at home. Instead of drinking, she distracted herself with a book on tropical fruit, a cup of tea, and, later, Sense and Sensibility, which she likes for the happy ending Jane Austen gives to the characters Elinor and Marianne.
Eleanor’s inability to see sobriety as the positive consequence of socializing shows how out of touch with reality she is: her thoughts are so distorted by her task of winning over the musician that everything else seems unimportant and inconsequential. On another note, given that Eleanor shares a name with one of Sense and Sensibility’s protagonists, it’s possible that the other character, Marianne, has some relevance in Eleanor’s life, as well.
Themes
Eleanor picks up a trashy newspaper left behind on the bus and sees an advertisement for The Cuttings, a music venue, which reveals that Johnnie Lomond is on tonight’s lineup. Excitedly, Eleanor realizes that she needs to shop for a gig outfit in addition to a party outfit and decides to head straight to the shops after work. She’ll be cutting it close, but she should have enough time to attend the performance at eight p.m. and arrive early enough to secure a seat close to the stage. Eleanor looks at her phone to check the musician’s Twitter account and see if their excitement about the gig tonight is mutual. She sees that @johnnieLrocks has tweeted a banal message about doing a soundcheck and getting a haircut for the show.
While a new outfit might transform Eleanor’s exterior, it will likely do little to transform her social skills or psychological disposition. It’s interesting that Eleanor remains uncritical of Johnnie Lomond’s often banal Twitter presence when she is so indiscriminately critical of everyone else. Given Mummy’s approval of Johnnie and disapproval of Eleanor’s new friends, one might surmise that Eleanor’s idealization of Johnnie is reflective of her larger tendency to act based on what Mummy wants rather than what she herself wants.
Themes
Eleanor finds it particularly fortuitous that she found the newspaper advertisement right now, as she is currently carrying a handwritten message for the musician in her purse. The message consists of an Emily Dickinson verse written in a card that features a drawing of a hare.
Eleanor turns to animals to make sense of the world. In this case, the hare on the card symbolizes a moment of confidence for Eleanor, as the hare in Aesop’s well-known fable “The Tortoise and the Hare” displays (unwarranted) confidence in winning the challenge it’s up against. Thus, Eleanor she selects a card with a hare on it because she is confident in her (misguided) feelings for Johnnie and confident that, under the right circumstances, he will reciprocate these feelings.
Themes
The work day drags on, but Eleanor finally arrives at the department store at 5:20 p.m., less than an hour before it will close. She “proudly” informs the shop employee that she’s going to a show at The Cuttings and needs an outfit. The employee procures black skinny jeans and a black faux-silk shirt for Eleanor to wear. Eleanor is hesitant about the outfit, but the woman assures her that it’s exactly what Eleanor needs. Eleanor tries on the clothing and observes that she “look[s] exactly like everyone else.” The saleswoman approves of the look and convinces Eleanor to swap out her Velcro-fastened, utilitarian works shoes for a pair of fashionable boots.
To Eleanor, looking like everyone else offers the possibility of being able to communicate like everyone else, which is something she desperately needs to do if she wants to win over the musician. Physically looking like everyone else also lets Eleanor lie to herself that she’s doing better psychologically, when the opposite is true: looking the part merely masks everything that’s lacking in Eleanor’s life.
Themes
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Eleanor thanks the saleswoman, whose nametag reads “Claire,” for her help. Claire tells Eleanor that she can get a quick makeover before the store closes if she hurries. She instructs Eleanor to “go to Bobbi Brown.” Eleanor follows Claire’s instructions, asking “to speak to Bobbi,” which causes the makeup staff to laugh. A makeup artist covers up Eleanor’s scar with concealer and gives her a “smoky eye” look, which Eleanor at first resists on the grounds that she hates “anything to do with smoking.” When the artist is done, Eleanor is pleased, though she hardly recognizes herself. She tells the makeup artist that the look is charming and makes her look like a racoon. Eleanor leaves the store and heads to The Cuttings.
Again, Eleanor expresses her disgust for “anything to do with smoking,” which reinforces the hypothesis that fire is at the center of her childhood trauma. Given her tendency to relate to animals, Eleanor’s comment that the makeover makes her look like a racoon implies that she approves of the makeover. Eleanor’s approval of a makeup style whose name evokes smoke (“smoky eye”) symbolically represents Eleanor moving beyond the reach of her past’s influence. Additionally, like the new outfit, makeup creates a shiny exterior that lets Eleanor deny that she’s not fine on the inside.
Themes
