Eleanor & Park Suffering Quotes

How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)

Quote #1

Tina pushed roughly past Eleanor and climbed onto the bus. She had everybody else in their gym class calling Eleanor Bozo, but Tina had already moved on to Raghead and Bloody Mary […] It made sense that Tina was in Eleanor's gym class—because gym class was an extension of hell, and Tina was definitely a demon. (6.3)

Within minutes of showing up at her new school, Eleanor becomes a target for every bully on campus. Tina takes a particularly special interest in making Eleanor's life miserable. Relentless name-calling? Just the tip of the iceberg.

Quote #2

Laughing at Eleanor was Dr. King's mountain. (6.6)

Here's a quote that makes you stop for a minute. What does Eleanor mean? She's referring to Dr. Martin Luther King's final speech. Is she saying that other kids see bullying her as the greatest goal in life? This is one serious metaphor.

Quote #3

What were they going to do when it got cold—and when it started getting dark early? Would they all hide in the bedroom? It was crazy. Diary-of-Anne-Frank crazy. (6.32)

Is Eleanor out of line for comparing her home situation to Anne Frank's life spent hiding from the Nazis? The level of terror and suffering Eleanor's family experiences might be similar—they're afraid for their physical safety most of the time.