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
Sammy’s party is tonight at seven p.m., and Raymond has arranged to meet with up with Eleanor beforehand, which Eleanor realizes is probably because he doesn’t want to arrive alone. Fear of loneliness, Eleanor believes, is only for the weak. Strong people, like her, know that it’s liberating to know one doesn’t need others’ company to survive. Further, it’s best to only have oneself to take care of, as it’s impossible to protect others. Still, Eleanor sometimes longs to spend time with others—after all, a houseplant isn’t quite the same thing as a person. Eleanor knows that she has no one, but she also knows that this is what she deserves.
Eleanor is lonely and does want others’ company, but she claims she doesn’t because she is ashamed and embarrassed by her loneliness. Eleanor’s cynical comments on the impossibility of protecting others are cryptic and seem to be more self-referential than she makes them out to be; it’s possible that Eleanor previously failed to protect someone she loved and is jaded as a result of her failure. Eleanor’s earlier recollection of a small voice crying out for potentially supports this.
Themes
Eleanor is annoyed at Raymond, who arrives 25 minutes after their prearranged 6:50 p.m. meeting time. Raymond tells Eleanor to relax, assuring her that it’s ruder to arrive right on time for a party than it is to arrive late. He tries to change the subject, telling Eleanor she looks “nice,” and “different,” but she’s still bothered by the fact that someone would say a party starts at seven p.m. and expect guests to know not to arrive right at seven p.m.
Because Eleanor hasn’t been to a party since she was a child, she’s unfamiliar with party etiquette to which Raymond is privy.
Themes
Eleanor and Raymond arrive at Laura’s house. Laura greets Raymond with a smile and Eleanor with a lack thereof. Raymond hands Laura flowers, and Eleanor realizes she’s forgotten to get a gift. Before she can apologize, Raymond tells Laura that the flowers are from both of them. Laura is wearing a tight black dress, high heels, and lots of makeup; Raymond stares at her, but she appears not to care. She leads them to the crowded living room where Sammy greets them with a smile. His son cautions him not to drink any more, as he’s on painkillers, but Sammy cheerfully resists, offering that “there’s worse ways to go.” Eleanor agrees, as she “should know.”
Eleanor learns from Raymond’s thoughtful gesture of claiming that the flowers were from him and Eleanor. The more experience Eleanor has socializing, the more opportunities she has to pick up on cues and gestures like these and store them away for future use. Eleanor’s cryptic comment that she “should know” that there are worse ways to die implies that her childhood incident involved an unpleasant death in some capacity.
Themes
Laura brings Raymond and Eleanor a fizzy drink. It’s delicious, and Eleanor finishes hers in a few gulps. Laura refills Eleanor’s glass. Eleanor tells Laura that she has a beautiful home, comparing it, strangely, to a bird’s nest, which makes Laura uncomfortable. Laura changes the subject to Raymond, who she assumes is Eleanor’s boyfriend. Eleanor hastily corrects her, speaking vaguely of the “handsome and sophisticated and talented” man in her life, though she admits that they haven’t actually met yet, which makes Laura laugh. Laura tells Eleanor they should have drinks together and offers to cut her hair. Eleanor remembers her quest for self-improvement and tells Laura she’d love to have her hair cut. They set an appointment for Tuesday at three p.m.
It’s a high compliment for Eleanor to compare a person’s house to something animal-related, but Laura doesn’t know this, so Eleanor’s comment about her house looking like a bird’s nest strikes her as odd. Whenever animals are referenced in the novel, Honeyman draws attention to how socially alienated Eleanor is from others, as she aligns herself more with animals than with other people. However, this party shows the reader that Eleanor is gaining more opportunities for socialization and is becoming somewhat less awkward as she continues to attend social events.
Themes
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Eleanor wanders outside to escape the party’s hectic atmosphere and runs into Raymond, who is outside for a cigarette and some fresh air and has failed to notice the irony of this. They’re both feeling a little tipsy. Eleanor tells Raymond that Laura is going to cut her hair and accuses him of liking her. Raymond admits that Laura is beautiful but says that he prefers someone who isn’t so high maintenance. He leaves for a minute and reappears with a bottle of wine and two paper cups. Raymond laments his recent breakup with his ex-girlfriend Helen. He thought she was the one and can’t fathom how and when things went wrong.
It’s ironic that Raymond steps outside to get some fresh air yet chooses to inhale smoke from his cigarette. Honeyman borrows a lot of names from Eleanor’s favorite book, Jane Eyre—“Helen” seems to be one of these, though there’s no explicit connection between Raymond’s ex and the character of Helen Burns Jane Eyre. When Raymond opens up to Eleanor about his love life, it signifies that their friendship has grown to the extent that they no longer only talk about mundane, superficial topics with each other: they can talk about the personal issues they hide from others.
Themes
Eleanor sees that Raymond isn’t really talking to her—he’s simply talking to get things out. Eleanor offers Raymond her own story of a failed romance, telling him about her ex from college, Declan, who regularly abused her. At the time, Eleanor had believed Declan’s beatings were her fault, though she now knows she wasn’t to blame for his abuse. The relationship ended after Declan’s beatings sent her to the hospital. There, a concerned nurse explained to Eleanor that people who love you don’t hurt you. Eleanor broke up with Declan after this. Raymond comforts Eleanor and touches her arm as she shares these personal details of her life with him.
It’s a big deal for Eleanor to talk to Raymond about Declan, as she rarely reveals intimate, painful details of her life to others, preferring to pretend that she is “fine” when she’s not. Eleanor rarely acknowledges her painful past even to herself, so it speaks to the depth and meaningfulness of her relationship with Raymond that she would be vulnerable in front of him.
Themes
Eleanor tells Raymond that she has to go and he calls her a cab. Raymond is visibly drunk and tells Eleanor he’s going to stick around the party awhile longer. As Eleanor’s cab pulls away, she sees Raymond heading toward Laura, who is standing in the doorway holding two glasses.
Eleanor appears to be jealous of Laura—if not for Raymond’s attraction to her, then for the ease with which Laura’s good looks and carefree attitude allow her to socialize with others.
Themes
