Eleanor & Park Bullies

In Lynda Barry's essay “The Sanctuary of School” Barry gives her own personal feelings and experiences about the school system. She points out the fact that when times are “lean” the first things the government eliminates from the school systems is the art, music. and other creative programs. In her essay she gives her readers insight on her childhood, explaining how going to school was her get-away from her financially and emotionally unstable home. Barry points out how she and her brother weren’t noticed by their family while at home. For example, at the age of seven Barry sneaks out of the house while it was still dark because she feels a sudden urgency to get to school; when she gets close, she feels a sense of peace come over her. When

Eleanor & Park takes place during the course of one school year during 1986 to 1987 in Omaha, Nebraska. Most of the novel takes place either at Eleanor’s home, Park’s home, the school bus or their school. Since this novel takes place in the 80’s, Park does get some racist comments thrown at him from the kids at his school because he is half-Korean and there aren’t many Asian kids.

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, the protagonist, undergoes a difficult childhood where she had to take care of her ill mother for 11 years, until she died. Taking care of her mother for most of her childhood prohibited her from developing as a person; that affected her tremendously. For example, During Theodora’s supernatural experience, Shirley Jackson displays how Eleanor’s inner child managed to let her grow anger and jealously towards Theodora. Eleanor felt like Hill House was giving Theodora more affection and attention than it was giving her; similar, to the one that a child would have

Eleanor always felt that her mother was holding her back and keeping her from finding herself. When she received the invitation to go stay at Hill House for the summer, she saw it as an opportunity

Jackson portrays the car that Eleanor takes to Hill House as a symbol of the first step to obtaining her long awaited freedom. When Eleanor’s sister, Carrie, refuses to let her take the vehicle to Hill House, she becomes restless and makes the impulsive decision to steal it. With this unlikely act, Eleanor feels that she has, “finally taken a step” (Jackson 10). In her first true taste of independence, Jackson reveals the truth of Eleanor’s hidden nature and makes it easy for people to emphasize with her internal struggle of obtaining freedom. From being

. I am interested in this topic because I feel like I can relate to the main character, Jodee and what she goes through. 3. The purpose of reading this book is to understand what it is like to be bullied, an outcast and the effects of getting picked on and shut out. People, especially teenagers, should read this book to understand what kids go through, and what they could be doing to their fellow peers and how bad it really is to be bullied.

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.

This novel is full of chance and hope. Eleanor and Park is not your typical love story. For starters, Eleanor likes to wear baggy men's shirts and too big mommy jeans. Eleanor has crazy, out of control, fire red, curly hair and is always bullied because of her appearance. Being covered in freckles from head to toe doesn't exactly help the situation either.

Eleanor was raised without her parents, and was also left to voyage life under her grandmother. She lived with other relatives of jarring personalities, absorbed in their own life. She lived in a world within a world, finding difficulty conforming confidently

She was always alone with no one loving her or care for her, she was a very shy person and she had a hard time talking to people. The cause of this was when “She was twelve years old ...her father had been dead"(3). Due to her father’s death at an early age, it leads her to become less of herself and alone as she was growing up. Not only her dad's death affected her but her mother," now that her mother was dead"(3), it causes Eleanor a lot of pain and suffering. Not only that her parent’s death proposes the problem with family but also her sister and her family as well.

2) Teaser: Park, the only Korean in his high school, has spent his entire life feeling like he doesn’t belong. He’s obsessed with music, doesn’t have many friends, and loves comic books. Eleanor, a pale 16-year old girl, has never fit in. Chubby, with bright red hair and a habit of dressing in men's clothing, Eleanor's mere existence is like a glowing neon sign for the bullies in their high school located in the Flats of Nebraska. Everything changes once Eleanor gets on the bus and is forced to sit next to Park. As Eleanor and Park share still bus rides, they begin to learn new information about one another, creating a deep and emotional bond. Once their barrier of silence is broken after Park gives her some songs to listen to, they are propelled into a whirlwind of first love. Eventually, mix tapes are swapped, sparks fly, and soon they're inseparable, living for the minutes they spend together on the bus. But, with love comes jarring

The first person I tested was Yesenia. She was really mature and shy so she paid attention. For the two strings when I had moved one of them up she said they weren’t equal because the one that was moved up was taller or longer. The playdough I put down two balls of it that had the same amount and asked her if they were equal. Of course she said yes and then after I had smashed one and asked her the same thing she said the one that wasn’t smashed had more because it was taller and the other one was just flat. For the cups and the water I had poured the same amount of water in small cups and after that I poured one of the cups into the water bottle and Yesenia told me that the one that was poured into the bottle had more because it was higher

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.

Eleanor and Park were on the bus with numerous other kids, but Park’s love for Eleanor enabled him to show courage to her. Eleanor just hopped on the bus and saw Park smiling at her, which made her smile back, regardless of her being in front of everyone else. Tina, a foe to Eleanor, was watching her, but she took the courage