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 next day, Eleanor is on the bus, headed to the hospital to see Sammy. She threw out Sammy’s perishable grocery items, as he wouldn’t be able to use them while he’s in the hospital and they would just go bad. Eleanor’s thoughts turn to the foods of her childhood. Mummy believed they should indulge themselves, so meals were always “epicurean feast[s].” Eleanor remembers her mother telling her stories of eating chili-fried tofu in Kowloon, sushi in Sao Paulo, and grilled octopus in Naxos. Eleanor makes a note to ask Mummy about the food where she is now.
Mummy’s sophisticated palette can be seen as an extension of her generally judgmental demeanor: just as she has high standards for other people, she has high standards for the food she consumes, and Eleanor’s recollection of childhood “epicurean feast[s]” reveals that Mummy groomed Eleanor to adopt a similarly discerning attitude toward food. Eleanor’s offhand comment that she should ask Mummy how the food is where she’s at now is vague; the reader knows that Mummy is institutionalized somewhere, but Eleanor refuses to say where. While Eleanor is willing to acknowledge inconsequential details about Mummy, she remains unwilling to reveal anything that would give the reader clarity on the bigger issues at play, such as where Mummy is, what actions led to her living there, and how these actions are connected to Eleanor’s traumatic incident.
Themes
Eleanor arrives at the hospital and notices a shop on the first floor. She remembers that it’s a custom to bring gifts for hospital patients, which causes her to reminisce on the underwhelming gifts she’s received throughout her life. She recalls how her only boyfriend, Declan, accused her of withholding her birth date from him and, as punishment, “gave [her] a black eye” for her 21st birthday. The only other birthday she remembers is her 11th, when one of her foster families gave her a silver charm bracelet. Eleanor wonders what gifts the musician might give her and imagines him writing her a romantic song for Valentine’s Day. Eleanor stops daydreaming and settles on a Playboy magazine from the hospital store to bring to Sammy.
The play on words Eleanor uses to describe Declan’s beating (he “gives” her a black eye, like one would “give” an actual birthday present) reflects the complicated relationship she has with her abuser. Eleanor knows now that Declan’s abuse was serious, and that she shouldn’t blame herself for his actions—but her decision to use clever language to talk about Declan’s abuse suggests that she has to use humor because it’s still too painful for her to seriously confront the memory. Eleanor provides more insight into her childhood when she says that she hasn’t received many gifts in her life, which suggests that her loneliness has its origins in childhood. Further, Eleanor’s shift in focus to daydreams about the musician is evidence that she is eager to avoid thinking about the past.
Themes
Eleanor enters Sammy’s ward and finds him asleep in his bed. Raymond appears shortly after. He sits down beside Sammy’s bed and tells Eleanor that Sammy woke from his coma a few hours ago. Despite having a concussion and a broken hip, the doctors are confident he’ll recover. Raymond and Eleanor leave the hospital together. It’s nice out, so Raymond suggests they grab a drink. Eleanor reasons that going to a public house with another person will be good practice for when she and Johnnie Lomond finally go on a date, so she accepts Raymond’s invitation.
Eleanor is so absorbed in her fantasy romance with Johnnie that she loses touch with reality. She’s too delusional to see Raymond’s invitation as an opportunity to make new friends and build a real social circle, viewing it as a mere means to the end of securing Johnnie’s love.
Themes
Eleanor and Raymond arrive at the bar and grab seats outside. Eleanor doesn’t know what to order and insists on getting their drinks herself. She goes inside and, per the bartender’s recommendation, orders a Magners with ice. Eleanor is offended when the bartender doesn’t pour the bottle of Magners into a glass for her. The bartender finds Eleanor’s expectations over the top, and he rudely slams the empty bottle back on the counter when he’s finished pouring the drink. Eleanor collects her change and carries the drinks outside, scowling to herself over the supposed “paucity of good manners” she just witnessed.
Eleanor’s misunderstanding with the bartender is another example of her unpracticed social skills causing her to behave rudely, and subsequently, to project her own rudeness onto another person. It mirrors her earlier interactions with June Mullen and with the therapist who gave her the bikini wax.
Themes
Get the entire Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine LitChart as a printable PDF.
Raymond tells Eleanor that he’s going to visit his mother tomorrow, which is something he does every Sunday. His father died years ago, Raymond explains, and his mother is unwell and lives alone. Eleanor listens to Raymond “drone[] on” before interrupting to ask for advice on purchasing a smartphone. Raymond is surprised at Eleanor’s unrelated question but answers, explaining the costs and benefits of various devices.
Eleanor is lonely, but her unpracticed social skills give her little patience to listen to others “drone[] on,” which prevents her from being invested in conversations with others. This is an example of how Eleanor’s unpracticed social skills are both the cause and effect of her loneliness. Eleanor doesn’t know how to develop meaningful conversations, so she keeps her talk with Raymond superficial and unintimate by interrupting him to talk about cell phones.
Themes
Raymond has plans to hang out with friends later that evening and has to go to pick up beer. Before he leaves, Eleanor asks him for money for the Guinness she ordered him. He counts out the money and tells her to keep the change, which elates Eleanor. “Emboldened” by her drink, Eleanor decides to take a detour home.
When Eleanor offered to get the drinks from the bar, Raymond probably assumed that Eleanor meant she would buy him his drink. That Eleanor now asks Raymond for money for the Guinness speaks to her inadequate grasp on social etiquette.
Themes
