Analysis Of Eleanor & Park By Rainbow Rowell

Eleanor and Park is a fiction novel by Rainbow Rowell. In this story, the characters, Eleanor and Park, have many differences on the outside, but on the inside, they are more similar than they appear. Just by looking at them, anyone would be able to tell that they come from two completely different households as Park lives in a rather wealthy, loving household, while Eleanor lives in a poor, dysfunctional household. Though their home lives are worlds apart, they do find things in common with each other such as their love for comic books and music. So, they are different because of the dissimilar households they live in, yet they are similar because of their common love for comics and music.

The book “Eleanor & Park” was written by Rainbow Rowell and was published in February 2013 by St. Martin’s Press. Rainbow Rowell is an American author who writes young adult novels. It is a romance novel between two misfit students in 1986. The novel is portrayed from two different viewpoints, from Eleanor’s and Park’s who live in Omaha, Nebraska. Eleanor was a 16-year-old girl with big red curly hair and big body, she has pale skin with dark eyes. Park was a 16-year-old boy who is half Korean with nice black hair and had an average body, not ripped nor skinny. The love story was unusual because not only the main characters have contrast look but their social and family life is different too. This essay will provide summary of the book “Eleanor & Park” and provide the response focusing primarily on bullying, domestic abuse, and child abuse from all the chapters in the book.

Eleanor and Park’s class not only affects their relationships with their families, but also with each other. Park’s way of expressing his love reflects the loving nature that his family shows him. Park and his father both have an interest in women who are different. Park thinks that his Korean mother “kept the accent on purpose, because his dad liked it” (Rowell 46). Just as his dad marries a Korean woman – someone of a different race, Park starts a relationship with Eleanor – someone different from others. Both women’s appearances are different from their community, and both Park and his father come to love these differences. Park’s love for Eleanor is also expressed more greatly because Park knows love from his family. Unlike Park, Eleanor’s family expresses very minimal love (if any) towards her, which results in Eleanor’s held back love. Eleanor abandons Park at the end of the story like her mother abandoned her. Also, Eleanor keeps her love hidden even at the end when she writes a letter

The two teens come from very different backgrounds, but that doesn't stop them from slowly falling in love. Both Park, and Eleanor, face through their hardships with each others help. They are always there to reassure each other that everything will be okay. The plot had some moments when everything was expected. It was very cliché at points, for example, Park, being surrounded by his "popular" friends, was rude to Eleanor, (Page 9) but eventually fell in love with her (Page 114). Although it was expected, most of the time, Eleanor and Park was a conventional young adult novel about love, hope, and growth.

What is the perfect love story and does it exist? Not in the lives of Romeo and Juliet nor in the lives of Eleanor and Park. This romance novel and play engage the readers by representing the most imperfect examples of what love is. In these works, I will be examining the differences and similarities between Socio-economic status, the ideal person and the family influence in both works, as well as the modern and classical approaches to love. In the beginning of Eleanor and Park they both read Romeo and Juliet and discover their similarities and differences with these characters.

Eleanor Douglas and Park Sheridan are clearly outcasts amongst all of those around them. Eleanor because she is very poor and comes from a home of many siblings with an abusive stepfather. Park because he is half-Korean and his primary interest is comic books and mixtapes. The two misfits meet on a school bus on Eleanor’s first day at a new school in Omaha, Nebraska. Eleanor, wearing men’s clothing and having a full figure, is the perfect target for the bullies on the bus of whom will not let her take a seat. As if to her rescue, Park offers a place for Eleanor to sit on the way to school.

At first, the two rarely talk outside of the bus ride, because of Eleanor’s home situation. Even their conversations on the bus are observed by the other students, who make fun of the couple. But a phone call from the privacy Eleanor’s dad’s house reveals their true feelings for each other. As their love continues to grow, Park continues to challenge his identity, and Eleanor’s home situation continues to worsen. The book’s plot twist ending aches of harsh reality and the sacrifices we’ll make for the people

“What He Said Before He Died” by Lee Ann Cox is the story of her husband Kevin’s death and how his cancer affected their family. The main reason I love this essay so much is that it can tell a sad story without being overly dramatic. It pains me to say that a lot of stories like this tend to blend together. It is still sad, but not quite as impactful or meaningful. I love this essay because it doesn’t shy away from the more gruesome parts of cancer, but doesn’t let that overshadow the good parts of their life.

time as he possibly could away from Singapore” (104). Kerry Chu’s background serves as a stark contrast to Philip’s. She tells her daughter about her adolescent years: “Back then I was in my final year of secondary school and working nights as a waitress in the only bar in our village [...]. Now, up till this time I had spent my entire life in this small village outside of Zhuhai” (512). She did not have the opportunities to travel and see the world. She was isolated in her town and had to work to live. In the words of Eleanor Young, “Her family comes from some ulu ulu [remote, far from civilization] village in China that nobody has ever heard of. The investigator thinks they were most likely working class. In other words, they are PEASANTS!”

In the book, Eleanor and Park, It was Eleanor’s first day at a new school and she had to ride the bus. She dressed on the odd side, had bright red hair, and already labeled the fat girl. The kids on the bus already made assumptions about her. As Eleanor got on the bus kids moved the bags and scooted to the edge of the seats so Eleanor couldn’t sit with them. As Eleanor got closer and closer to the end of the bus she panicked. Park usually doesn’t sit with anyone and made the decision to let her sit with him, even knowing the consequences of teasing from other kids. Even though they never talked to one another they grew respect for eachother. To keep Eleanor from feeling like a total outcast Park would let her hang around him and his friends

Eleanor, a character from the book Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell, is a very complicated character. Her seemingly pessimistic and self-conscious approach to life can seem strange or even incomprehensible, but when her character development and past experiences are more closely considered, these views are much easier to understand. Her views are affected by three major factors: her family’s financial status, her abusive home life, and her endurance of constant bullying. While there are multiple other motivations behind her perceptions, these three factors all help push her to the state of internalizing much of her personal life, keeping it away from individuals she finds herself closest to, including her boyfriend Park.

Throughout human history, the transformation from naïve children to mature adults has been of profound importance. The various customs to prove maturation in different cultures shows the widespread significance of this transition. Within literature, the variety of passages to maturation spanning from peaceful and blissful to depressing and unbearable activities exhibits the embodiment of this tedious process. Bildungsromans embody all of these different paths from the common starting point of birth. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is one such Bildungsroman about a girl’s maturation contrasted with the children around her. Through the utilization of different economic and familial backgrounds during the Great Depression allows Lee to

Love is a powerful force that can be life-changing. Rowell demonstrates this with the romance of Park and Eleanor’s relationship. In the beginning, Park helps out the new girl, Eleanor, by offering her a seat on the bus. However, although he pities her, he ignores her presence as he does not want to associate himself with her (Rowell, 14-15, 24). Soon, however, mutual feelings develop as they share common interests, especially in comic books and family and personal life. Park professes his love for Eleanor on the phone one day, but she, although knows it, doesn’t hear the words across the phone that she hung up (113-114). When things get too rough for Eleanor and she is unable to endure the bullying and abuse, she decides to leave her family

“It's not who I am underneath but what I do that defines me” Christian Bale. It doesn't matter what whether you’re black, white, male, or female it is your actions that define you. To most people of Maycomb it doesn't matter of your race, if you were black you were considered immoral, liars untrustworthy. Atticus had to defend his client (Tom Robinson) from these same judgments that were plaguing the black community. Atticus tried his hardest, but in the end it didn't matter. The jury didn't judge Tom on the facts that were given, nor did they judge Tom on his character, but they judged him on the sole fact that he was a black man.

Eleanor & Park is a young adult novel by Rainbow Rowell. This story is praised and loved by all ages because of it’s ability to relate to the reader with it’s varied issues and themes that anyone can relate to. From romance, to bullying and violence, it has a little something for everyone. Overall themes are an important asset to this young adult novel, since they are the ideas that Rainbow Rowell explores, and helps the story take shape. It all goes back into the “coming of age” theme. The protagonists, Eleanor and Park, are two 16 year olds facing life’s obstacles, such as bullying, abuse, and even romance. This book teaches many lessons that one reader might relate to; although taking place in 1986, the lessons still relate to this day, from relationships, to issues at home. Eleanor & Park is an exceptional book that even the most hardened reader can relate to, this book handles a lot of issues and themes that anyone can relate to, and dishes out life lessons that will impact the reader, it’s written in such a realistic way, that it feels like a real story, and that is not in any way fictional. This book is a great piece of fiction that blends in pop culture, issues, and romance all in one that anyone can read.