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Chapter 45
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Eleanor and Park, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Adolescence and Shame
Love and Intimacy
Poverty and Class
Family and Abuse
Summary
Analysis
Park drives Eleanor back to her house. Richie’s truck is sitting in the driveway, but Eleanor is grateful to see that there are no lights on in the house. As Eleanor and Park say goodnight, Park admits that he doesn’t “ever” want to say goodbye to her. They exchange a quick kiss, and Eleanor promises Park that she’ll see him tomorrow.
As the night comes to an end, Eleanor and Park feel almost invincible and excited about their future—both near and long-term.
Themes
As soon as Eleanor walks into the house, she hears the sounds of her mother and Richie fighting. Eleanor hurries into her bedroom, where her siblings are all asleep in spite of the chaos. As Eleanor hurries into bed, she feels something crunch beneath her leg. She feels around and realizes that one of Park’s comics is crumpled on the bedspread. Eleanor turns on the light and sees that her bed is strewn with torn comic books, smashed makeup and perfume bottles, and unspooled ribbons of cassette tapes. Her headphones have been snapped in half, and on the foot of the bed there is an angry, disparaging note from Richie—written in familiar, lowercase handwriting.
After the beautiful night Eleanor and Park shared, Eleanor is completely blindsided by the chaos that awaits her at home. Her escapes with Park allow her to forget about the reality of her life—and it’s all the more brutal when it comes flooding back in. Additionally, Eleanor realizes that not only have her parents found out her secret about Park—but Richie is the one who has been leave the horrible, lewd notes on her textbooks.
Themes
