As soon as they started caring for each other, their eyes started discovering the beauty that was within them. It's a beauty that people take time noticing, and has to do with caring. Rather, Rowell defends this other type of beauty, the one that Eleanor sees in Park and Park sees in Eleanor. There is no much value in being that kind of beautiful if all it gets you is Richie. Being 'standardly beautiful' is not as appealing as it seems when we look at the life that Eleanor's mother has had.

They seem to find beauty in each other that other people miss. For them, the word seems to have a different meaning. Park's mother and people in the neighborhood call Eleanor's mother 'beautiful', but the two protagonists use the same word to describe each other. The concept of beauty is another theme that the novel presents. This is an empowering idea for young readers. There is a strong sense of being able to talk about problems without having a solution. I am drawn to Rowell’s ability to allow characters to grapple with issues of race, family, bullying and identity without being untrue to the adolescent perspectives. I found that pretty out of character for the mother and perhaps also for the 1980s! Perhaps the most surprising reaction to Park's appearance comes from his usually reserved mother, who questions him about the gender roles in he and Eleanor’s relationship. Although his father's opinions of masculinity are outright, Park himself also considers himself feminine in some respects. When he expresses to Eleanor that there are no hot Asian guys, this is a sentiment he's thought about before. I actually think Park's self perception reflects these insecurities although readers aren't privy to this information until later in the novel. Interesting interpretation of Park's appearance issues, Sophie.

Eleanor and park novel