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
The chapter begins with a tweet from @johnnieLrocks informing his followers of a “Farewell Pilgrim Pioneers gig.” He claims it’s going to be the #gigofthecentury. Eleanor sees the tweet and, later on, a poster with the musician’s face on it posted in the window of a record shop. Remembering her mistake with The Cuttings gig, she immediately buys two tickets to this so-called “gig of the century” and sets about preparing for the event to make sure everything goes smoothly. She decides to invite Raymond to a different gig at the venue in order to scope out the vibe of the place in advance of the musician’s gig.
The pompousness of Johnnie’s tweet emphasizes what a jerk he is. That Eleanor can’t realize something so blatantly apparent speaks to how thoroughly her obsession with him blinds her to his glaring inadequacies. It’s also ironic that Eleanor continues to put effort into ensuring her first introduction to the musician goes smoothly despite maintaining the fantasy narrative that it was fate that brought them together—if fate is truly involved, Eleanor’s efforts would presumably have no impact on how their meeting unfolds.
Themes
Eleanor selects a random show and emails Raymond to invite him to see “Agents of Insanity” at Rank Dan’s with her tomorrow. Raymond is surprised, as he didn’t think Eleanor was into this type of music, but he agrees to go along. The next day, Raymond shows up wearing all black and a sweatshirt with a skull plastered across it—he tells her he’s trying to “look the part.” Eleanor doesn’t know what he’s talking about, but it becomes blatantly obvious as the band starts to play. It’s a grindcore show, and the band that performs emits a noise Eleanor compares to “the cacophonous din of hell.” Eleanor can’t stand the band or the thrashing audience that surrounds her and runs upstairs to escape. Raymond has a good laugh. After Eleanor finally calms down, she also sees the amusement in her oversight.
This concert is another instance of Eleanor’s social awkwardness leading to a humorous misunderstanding. Whereas before, such an instance would have been humiliating to Eleanor, having Raymond by her side allows her to see the humor of her mistake. This moment also shows the strength of Eleanor and Raymond’s friendship: Eleanor would be mortified to have her mistake exposed to a stranger, but because she’s close with Raymond, she feels more comfortable admitting to her mistake and recognizing the humor in it.
Themes
Eleanor realizes that she doesn’t know very much about music and asks Raymond what he thinks of Johnnie Lomond and the Pilgrim Pioneers. She passes him her phone and opens a link to Johnnie’s website. Raymond takes out his headphones and listens for a bit before asserting, with a smirk, that the musician sounds like “shit” and seems like a phony. Eleanor decides she doesn’t know enough to judge whether or not Raymond’s opinion is correct and says nothing. They walk toward a pub and Eleanor asks Raymond to tell her more about music.
Eleanor trusts Raymond’s expertise on technology, but she regards his legitimate criticism of Johnnie skeptically. This speaks to how in denial Eleanor remains about Johnnie and the promising future that a relationship with him could offer.
Themes
