Post Reading: Eleanor and Park

2. “She didn't know there were things worse than selfish.”

     Eleanor experienced  a lot of hardship at home. Her drunk step dad that had a nasty temper. Her weak mom who put her own needs over her kids, and a dad that didn't care what happened to her or her siblings. All around Eleanor their were people that were incredibly selfish and because of these selfish acts Eleanor was constantly getting hurt.The question is are there people or things that can be worse than selfish?
     When the reader first reads this quote from the book Eleanor is recalling when she was twelve and heard her mom was seeing her future step dad. She didn't know who Richie was, but she knew that there was no way that he could possibly be worse then her real dad. How could anyone be more selfish than her dad was to his wife and children? At this time in the book I think that Eleanor is still holding on to a shred of her innocence. She doesn't know anything worse than what her dad did to her, and unfortunately Eleanor is in for a rude awakening. She soon finds out that their is such a thing that's worse than being selfish. Not only does her step dad hurt her mom, spend all the money he makes on booze, and treat everyone in the house poorly. He turns her mom and siblings into totally different people. Richie (Eleanor's Step Dad) controls everything everyone does. He is the alpha male and if anyone should say other wise he puts them in their place. Her mom waits on him hand and foot with kindness and with the hope that maybe the man she first met is buried somewhere underneath his rough exterior. Eleanor's mom excuses all of his actions. When he hits her she thinks she deserved it. When Richie kicked Eleanor out of the house her mom takes Richie's side over her own daughters. He caused her mother and her siblings to be brainwashed. They all think what Richie is doing is their fault, and that's just what Richie wants them to think. He has turned Eleanor's family into his own little puppets and Eleanor can't seem to think of the time where they weren't his loyal followers.  
   Richie is the cause of her awful life on a material level, but also on an emotional level. He goes as far as to write incredibly rude and inappropriate comments on her notebook. He does almost absolutely nothing, but when he does actually do something it is to hurt Eleanor, plot against her and try to make her miserable. He destroys any sunlight that may come into Eleanor's life just because he hates her so much. 
    Eleanor is forced to stay strong and not become the thing her step dad wants her to become. She has to fight everyday against Richie not on a physical level, but in her head. Eleanor fights a mental battle with her step dad everyday. Eleanor does find out what's worse than selfish and that is Richie and all he has done to her.