- How does she view herself and the world around her?
- What do you think about Eleanor’s routine? How does it define her life at the start of the book?"
- What do you think of Eleanor’s relationship with her coworkers? How does she interact with them, and what do you think that says about her social skills?
Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine: Chapters 1-3 Discussion Questions
What’s your first impression of Eleanor Oliphant? What do you find most interesting or amusing about her character so far?
Additional Questions:
- How does she view herself and the world around her?
- What do you think about Eleanor’s routine? How does it define her life at the start of the book?”
- What do you think of Eleanor’s relationship with her coworkers? How does she interact with them, and what do you think that says about her social skills?
Total comments: 2
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Melanie Morgan Beginner 3 months ago
She's very awkward and doesn't really think highly of herself. Definitely an interesting read so far. Her relationship with her coworkers is pretty sad .
Eleanor is blunt, awkward, and dryly funny, but her sarcasm feels more like a defense than humor. That first quote about loneliness before Chapter 1 broke me—I’ve felt that kind of quiet pain too. That quote really sets up the mood for the book to a point. She wants to be included, but she holds back out of fear of being truly seen or “discovered" and then people rejecting her because she doesn't fit their expectations.
Her rigid routine gives her a sense of control, but she’s clearly stuck. She keeps coworkers at a distance, judging them quietly, which shows how socially disconnected she is. Then, in Chapter 2, everything shifts when she sees the musician perform. Even though they’ve never met, she instantly fixates on him and builds a whole fantasy around the idea of being with him.
To me, that moment shows how desperate she is for connection—just not in a real, vulnerable way yet. It’s safer for her to imagine love than to risk the messiness of real life. I feel for her so much but have hope she'll very slowly and painfully discover what it's like to be included in real life and find much to her own surprise that's it's not bad at all.
The mother, well. I'll leave it at that.
