In
Eleanor & Park, you see two very different ideas about money, obviously.
But not only in the sense of dollar bills, but also in the currency of
popularity. We only just see Park coming to realize this at the end of our
readings for the week, when he realizes he has been inadvertently leading Tina
on just to keep her attention and keep himself in the “inner circle” of
popularity.
This, once again, is in
stark contrast to Eleanor who has no popularity “points” to spend compared to
Park’s. This truly parallels with their financial situations: Park doesn’t even
notice his status in the school until Eleanor, who is hyperaware of these
things, points it out to him. Park, financially, didn’t really notice his (or
his family’s) stability until he began to understand Eleanor better and got a
look into her life.
I don’t think that
Rowell used Eleanor’s jealousy of Tina – although I really don’t think
“jealousy” is the right word – just to drive a wedge between the two lovebirds,
but more to emphasize the differences between their ways of life. Eleanor is
used to scrounging for every last cent, hyper-vigilant to make ends meet, where
Park just allows things to happen around him. Eleanor is active where Park is
passive. Just the same thing happens with popularity. Alina Tugend talks more
about this in an article for the New York Times.
This interaction, alone,
shows to me the thought behind the mentality that some people in poverty have.
It’s a mindset of “They don’t even notice that they can afford groceries or
gas.” And it make these people bitter – and not unfairly. In Park’s case, he
truly doesn’t notice that Tina likes him until it is shoved in his face.
Lauren- that's an interesting point about not noticing that you are able to afford something. I would also argue that sometimes there is an assumption of money whether or not that is true. Overall, no one is taking the time to find out what the story is.
ReplyDeleteLauren I like a lot that you said. I also was interested with how Park's relationship with Tina effected Eleanor, and I see it largely as an issue with self confidence. The entire novel showcases Eleanor's feelings of not being good enough, and when she learns that Park used to go with Tina, she can't understand how one person could find two very different types of people beautiful. Essentially she was thinking, "If you find a girl like Tina attractive, then how could you also find a girl like me pretty?"
ReplyDeleteI can understand why Eleanor got so upset about Tina. It also forces us to remember that they are young and maybe not as secure in themselves as we are now.
ReplyDeleteI like when Park finally stands up to Steve- choosing Eleanor and possibly angering the crowd at the beginning of the story he was so eager to hide from- possibly putting that at risk because he realizes standing up is just more important.
ReplyDeleteMoney is a big part of the story. I think Eleanor's financial was stressed so much in the story because it builds the backbone of the book, you feel for Eleanor and the struggles she faces.
ReplyDeleteI have to agree with Nic and others. Money is such a major part of this story. If Eleanor's family had money this story would be completely different.
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