Protagonist

Character Role Analysis

Eleanor

Meet Eleanor, one half of our protagonist team in the aptly titled Eleanor & Park. She shares equal billing with Park, and about half of the book is told from her side. With the odds stacked against her—her home life is about as rough as they come thanks to her abusive stepfather, and kids at school are none too kind to her—we hope against hope for Eleanor, and are relieved when she finally makes contact with Park again at the end. He's the best thing we've seen her have in her life, and we'd hate to think she loses him for good.

Park

Meet Park, the other half of our protagonist team. Like Eleanor, half of this book belongs to Park, and though things are generally easier for him—he fares better at school and his parents are nothing if not kind and supportive—he's got his work cut out for him when it comes to accepting his feelings for Eleanor, and then trying to build a relationship with her without her family finding out. At one point Eleanor tells Park he looks "like a protagonist. You look like a person who wins in the end" (19.358), and we couldn't agree with her more.