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
Back at work, Bob calls Eleanor to his office and awkwardly tells her that her hair looks nice. Eleanor handles the comment awkwardly. Bob tells her that Loretta is going on leave and offers Eleanor her position. The promotion would involve a slight raise, but Eleanor knows this raise would bring a lot of extra work with it. She tells him she’ll need to consider his offer a few days. Bob tells her he admires her dedication to her job; Eleanor counters his compliment, telling him she’s not dedicated, she’s just never missed work because she doesn’t have anyone to go on vacation with. Before Eleanor leaves, Bob asks her if she’ll organize the office Christmas party. Eleanor says that she will.
The mutual awkwardness of Bob’s compliment and Eleanor’s response shows that Eleanor’s not really any weirder than anyone else. Communicating with other people is often an awkward task, and everyone’s just trying the best they can. Honeyman casts Eleanor’s awkwardness in a relatable light to encourage the reader to be more sympathetic toward people who might seem a little different on the surface.
Themes
Eleanor heads back to her desk and mulls over the features of her newly “intense” life: Keith’s party on Saturday, decisions to make about work, and her “project” of pursuing the musician. Eleanor begins to feel immensely overwhelmed and wishes she had someone to talk to. Just then, she receives an email from Raymond asking if she’s still interested in Keith’s party. Eleanor responds and spontaneously asks Raymond out for lunch. Raymond says that he’ll meet her in front of the office in five minutes. Raymond actually shows up eight minutes later, but Eleanor doesn’t mind his lateness as intensely as she did before. Raymond recommends they dine at a somewhat dilapidated café around the corner.
The more experience Eleanor gains socializing, the more confident she becomes. A couple of weeks ago, she wouldn’t have dared to ask another person out for lunch; now, however, her newfound confidence allows her to do so spontaneously. Eleanor has also become more patient with Raymond—before, she would have been appalled if he said he’d arrive in five minutes and was three minutes late. She’s learned to be more understanding and interpret people less literally.
Themes
Eleanor is disgusted by Raymond’s sloppy eating, but she ignores it and brings up Bob’s offer to promote her to office manager. Raymond stops eating and congratulates Eleanor. They weigh the pros and cons of accepting the position, and Raymond asks Eleanor how the promotion might be beneficial to whatever her next step is, career-wise. Eleanor hadn’t given her future much thought, before. Raymond praises Eleanor’s skills and tells her that there are plenty of places that would love to employ her. He sympathizes with her, telling her that with no siblings, a difficult mother, and no partner, she’s had a lot to deal with on her own. Raymond picks up the bill and they part ways at the office building as they head back to their desks.
Eleanor’s preoccupation with her past—and with repressing it—blinds her to the possibilities her future could hold. When Raymond asks Eleanor about her career goals, it’s the first time she’s really entertained the thought of a successful future. Raymond’s questions force Eleanor to think about her future in concrete terms; up until now, her thoughts about the future have been limited to her idealized, fantastical imaginings of a future with the musician.
Themes
When Eleanor gets back to her desk, she realizes that she’s neither completed the crossword puzzle nor had any desire to do so. Eleanor sends Raymond an email thanking him for lunch. Eleanor realizes she hasn’t even thought about the musician at all that afternoon. She commences work on her growing list of responsibilities, logging on to her computer to look for venues for the office Christmas party.
Lunch with Raymond forces Eleanor to stop thinking about the musician, which illustrates a shift from projection and idealization to acceptance and reality. By extension, Eleanor’s decision not to think about the musician and be present in her own life suggests a shift away from Mummy’s influence and toward honoring her own wants and needs.
Themes
Get the entire Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine LitChart as a printable PDF.
