Romeo and Juliet

So we really can't go any further without talking about Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, can we? This symbol is so obvious it's like the flashing neon sign of symbols. How often do you have a book where the protagonists get together in an English class and discuss the very work of literature their own story brings to mind? We're beyond meta here, Shmoopers. (Incidentally, thanks for the helpful analysis, Mr. Stessman.)

Wherefore Art Thou, Eleanor?

References to the Bard's famous tragedy abound throughout the story. Near the end of the book, Eleanor even thinks, "Park is the sun," which is a direct reference to a famous line from Shakespeare's play. And earlier in the story, Park tells Eleanor, "Bono was fifteen when he met his wife, and Robert Smith was fourteen," to which Eleanor replies, "Romeo, sweet Romeo—". When Park says, "It's not like that, Eleanor, and you know it" (41.45-47), though, he's kind of right.

And that's the point: Rowell wants us to think about the ways this story is like Romeo and Juliet, along with the ways it's not. Yes, we've got a pair of star-crossed lovers, and their families are keeping them apart—well, Eleanor's family, mostly—but there are plenty of deviations, too. For instance, Park is the sun, but the girl—Juliet—in Romeo and Juliet gets this title, a little switch that clues us into Eleanor and Park's propensity for doing things their own ways.

There are big differences here, too, which is good since Eleanor and Park hate clichés; these two just aren't going to go the same route as Romeo and Juliet. No suicides here, folks, and though Eleanor and Park have to split up, their sacrifice is all about survival instead of death.

What Light Through Yonder Classroom Breaks?

It all comes back to Eleanor and Park's classroom discussion about the famous play. Mr. Stessman remarks that Eleanor doesn't seem sad about Romeo and Juliet's tragic demise, and she tells him she doesn't think it's a tragedy. "He's so obviously making fun of them," she says (he meaning Shakespeare); "Romeo and Juliet are just two rich kids who've always gotten every little thing they want. And now, they think they want each other" (10.37-41). Eleanor isn't quite so convinced of their charms, it seems.

She even argues with Mr. Stessman: "It was love at first sight," he says, but Eleanor retaliates, "It was 'Oh my God, he's so cute' at first sight" (10.44-45). What does this say about Eleanor? Well, she's skeptical that love at first sight is even possible. The thing is, though, that Eleanor thinks about Park from pretty much the moment she meets him. So this discussion in class really makes us think about Eleanor and Park's first meeting, and how it might be different (or similar) to Romeo and Juliet's.

But Park has something to say about Romeo and Juliet, also. When Mr. Stessman asks Park why the play has survived for four hundred years, Park says, "Because people want to remember what it's like to be young? And in love?" (10.50) Wow. Well, there you go—Park's just put his finger on something this book has in common with the Bard's play. And also something that serves as a sort of dividing line for characters in this book: There are those who remember and value the experience of youth (hey, Park's parents), and those who are threatened by it (ahem, Richie).

Something also tells us that this whole remembering-young-love thing might be part of the reason Rowell wrote this book, too.