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Bad Days: Chapter 38
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
A pleasant phone call with Bob gives Eleanor the confidence she needs to return to work. She dresses in a new outfit to mark the occasion, which triggers a fond memory of back to school shopping when she was living with one of her foster families. That morning, she eats breakfast. She heads to the bus stop and appreciates the walk more than she used to, taking note of moss growing on the walls of buildings and weeds in the gutters. As she approaches the bus stop, she sees a fox drinking from a discarded coffee cup, which makes her laugh.
Eleanor dresses to boost her confidence, but she’s no longer using external self-improvements to mask inner turmoil like she did when she was pursuing the musician. Eleanor turns to animals to know how to act and what to do. To see a fox doing something a human would actually do—drink coffee—is a humorously literal instance of animals paralleling humans.
Themes
When she arrives at the office building, Eleanor is initially anxious that she isn’t ready to return to work. Just as she is about to break down, Raymond appears behind her, easing her into an embrace. He’s happy to realize that returning to work was the surprise Eleanor was talking about at the coffee shop. Raymond’s embrace gives Eleanor the courage she needs to face the office. They enter the building together, arm in arm.
Human affection no longer intimidates Eleanor: Raymond’s embrace gives her confidence, not discomfort. The more Eleanor has gotten to know Raymond, the more comfortable she becomes with him. Social awkwardness is often the product of one’s unfamiliarity with others, not an innate inability to be social.
Themes
Bob greets Eleanor with an embrace and a kiss on the cheek. They go through the paperwork required for Eleanor’s reentry, and Eleanor asks about the Christmas lunch, which Bob has completely forgotten about. Eleanor tells him she’ll get right on it—she’s happy to have a project in which to immerse herself. She gives him a “thumbs-up sign,” a social gesture she hopes she’s executed correctly.
Eleanor’s successful execution of the thumbs-up gesture shows that, while social cues still don’t come naturally to her, she’s now practiced enough to feel confident employing social gestures in her daily life.
Themes
Eleanor finds flowers from her coworkers waiting for her on her desk. She logs onto her computer and sees an email from Raymond inviting her to a classical music concert in a few weeks. Before Eleanor can respond, her coworkers approach her desk. Rather formally, Eleanor thanks them for the flowers and good wishes, and an awkward silence follows. Eleanor fills the silence by instructing them all to get back to work, as “those overdue invoices aren’t going to process themselves.” Billy replies, She’s back!” Everyone laughs, including Eleanor.
Eleanor’s coworkers used to mock her for her differences, but now they accept them as part of Eleanor’s personality. Just as Eleanor learned not to judge people before knowing them, her absence from work has shown her coworkers that people are often struggling more than they let on, so one should learn to be more open and understanding, refraining from passing judgment until one knows the fuller picture.
Themes
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