Eleanor & Park
A book project by Abbie Miller
Theme One: Love comes in all shapes and sizes; it doesn't discriminate.
The first theme that came to my mind when I read this wonderful book was, love comes in all shapes and sizes. It does not discriminate. We see this through both Eleanor and Park. Eleanor is a little bit bigger girl with freckles and crazy red hair. She doesn't have very many friends at her new school and her home life is awful. Park is just kind of an awkward kid that gets picked on, but has learned how to avoid it for the most part. The two seem to be from two completely different universes, yet they still fall in love.
Theme Two: One kind act can change someone's life.
When Eleanor and Park first meet they just try to avoid each other at all costs. Park loves comics and reads them everyday on the bus. One day he notices Eleanor looking over his shoulder and reading the comics along with him. He lets this go on for a few days, pretending he doesn't notice her reading. One day he decided to be kind and holds the comic in between them so that Eleanor can see and read along. This is where their love really starts. Everyday he starts letting her read. When she doesn't finish he lets her take the comic home with her and she ALWAYS brings it back the next day. This thing that may seem like no big deal really did change Eleanor's life and in the long run Park's. If Park hadn't let her read the comic that one time, they probably wouldn't have fallen in love.
How these two themes relate to one another
The small gesture of letting Eleanor read the comic was what truly started their relationship. This shows that love finds a way, no matter the circumstances. The kinds acts by Park really led to the love. He not only let Eleanor read his comic books and take them home, but on her first day riding the bus he let her sit with him. Even though he was kind of forced to, he still had a choice and he choose to let her sit with him. It is amazing the one little decision can change someone's life.