The Buddha of Suburbia

by

Hanif Kureishi

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Eleanor Character Analysis

Eleanor is a beautiful but troubled actress that Karim meets through Pyke. She's in the same production as Karim, and Karim decides to pursue her when he learns that she worked with a performance artist who stored poems in her vagina. Eleanor is extremely depressed, and Karim finds out months after they begin their relationship why: Eleanor's last boyfriend, Gene, committed suicide. Karim does his best to care for Eleanor and make her happy, which he finds is a difficult job as Eleanor hates herself and requires constant praise and compliments. However, she's very adventurous sexually and she and Karim have sex whenever Eleanor wants to. Karim also understands fairly quickly that though Eleanor pretends to be middle class, she's actually not. Eleanor's parents are wealthy and famous, and Eleanor grew up going to prep schools and Italy. She has what Karim deems a particular combination of class, money, and status, and doesn't even know it. Karim decides that this is truly what makes the upper class the way they are, as they don't understand their privilege. Karim's relationship with Eleanor ends when she informs Karim that she intends to continue having sex with Pyke, to whom she is extremely attracted. Karim is distraught as he truly loves Eleanor, and is even more hurt when he discovers that Pyke orchestrated their relationship.

Eleanor Quotes in The Buddha of Suburbia

The The Buddha of Suburbia quotes below are all either spoken by Eleanor or refer to Eleanor. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Coming of Age Theme Icon
).
Part 2, Chapter 11 Quotes

Eleanor's set, with their combination of class, culture and money, and their indifference to all three, was exactly the cocktail that intoxicated Eva's soul, but she could never get near it. This was unforced bohemia; this was what she sought; this was the apogee.

Related Characters: Karim (speaker), Eva, Eleanor
Page Number: 174
Explanation and Analysis:

For Eleanor's crowd hard words and sophisticated ideas were in the air they breathed from birth, and this language was the currency that bought you the best of what the world could offer. But for us it could only ever be a second language, consciously acquired.

Related Characters: Karim (speaker), Eleanor
Page Number: 178
Explanation and Analysis:
Part 2, Chapter 12 Quotes

As I sat there I began to recognize that this was one of the first times in my life I'd been aware of having a moral dilemma. Before, I'd done exactly what I wanted; desire was my guide and I was inhibited by nothing but fear. But now, at the beginning of my twenties, something was growing in me. Just as my body had changed at puberty, now I was developing a sense of guilt, a sense not only of how I appeared to others, but of how I appeared to myself...

Related Characters: Karim (speaker), Changez, Matthew Pyke, Eleanor
Page Number: 186
Explanation and Analysis:
Part 2, Chapter 15 Quotes

And we pursued English roses as we pursued England; by possessing these prizes, this kindness and beauty, we stared defiantly into the eye of the Empire and all its self-regard—into the eye of Hairy Back, into the eye of the Great Fucking Dane. We became part of England and yet proudly stood outside it.

Related Characters: Karim (speaker), Matthew Pyke, Eleanor, Gene, Hairy Back
Related Symbols: The Great Dane
Page Number: 227
Explanation and Analysis:
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Eleanor Quotes in The Buddha of Suburbia

The The Buddha of Suburbia quotes below are all either spoken by Eleanor or refer to Eleanor. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Coming of Age Theme Icon
).
Part 2, Chapter 11 Quotes

Eleanor's set, with their combination of class, culture and money, and their indifference to all three, was exactly the cocktail that intoxicated Eva's soul, but she could never get near it. This was unforced bohemia; this was what she sought; this was the apogee.

Related Characters: Karim (speaker), Eva, Eleanor
Page Number: 174
Explanation and Analysis:

For Eleanor's crowd hard words and sophisticated ideas were in the air they breathed from birth, and this language was the currency that bought you the best of what the world could offer. But for us it could only ever be a second language, consciously acquired.

Related Characters: Karim (speaker), Eleanor
Page Number: 178
Explanation and Analysis:
Part 2, Chapter 12 Quotes

As I sat there I began to recognize that this was one of the first times in my life I'd been aware of having a moral dilemma. Before, I'd done exactly what I wanted; desire was my guide and I was inhibited by nothing but fear. But now, at the beginning of my twenties, something was growing in me. Just as my body had changed at puberty, now I was developing a sense of guilt, a sense not only of how I appeared to others, but of how I appeared to myself...

Related Characters: Karim (speaker), Changez, Matthew Pyke, Eleanor
Page Number: 186
Explanation and Analysis:
Part 2, Chapter 15 Quotes

And we pursued English roses as we pursued England; by possessing these prizes, this kindness and beauty, we stared defiantly into the eye of the Empire and all its self-regard—into the eye of Hairy Back, into the eye of the Great Fucking Dane. We became part of England and yet proudly stood outside it.

Related Characters: Karim (speaker), Matthew Pyke, Eleanor, Gene, Hairy Back
Related Symbols: The Great Dane
Page Number: 227
Explanation and Analysis: