Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine

At work, Eleanor overhears her coworker, Billy, who accompanied her to the concert, insult Eleanor’s behavior at the concert and call her “‘mental’” (9). Their colleague, Bernadette, says she knows Johnnie through her brother.

Eleanor considers how to find out more about the musician and finds her computer malfunctioning when she returns to her desk. She leaves a message for the new IT technician and leaves the office for a painful “Hollywood” bikini wax (14), which—to her horror—removes all her pubic hair. 

Back at work, the new IT technician, Raymond, arrives to fix her computer. Eleanor does a crossword in the staff room while Raymond removes a virus. He shows her how to run a system scan and attempts to chat with her about crosswords and By Design. Eleanor receives these comments with some annoyance and notes Raymond’s sloppy appearance and awkward walk. She contrasts him with the poised, well-heeled musician.

In order to find out more about Johnnie, Eleanor buys her first laptop after work. She objects to the store clerk’s question about how she’ll use the laptop and scares the clerk with her curt response. Eleanor blames the outburst on impatience. She orders a pizza via delivery and is disappointed to learn that the shop does not deliver wine. After receiving the pizza from a “rude” deliveryman (20), she finds this pizza pales in comparison to the typical frozen variety she prefers.

Eleanor then drinks brandy while viewing Johnnie’s personal website and social media pages. She writes a to-do list for her research on him, but as she continues to drink, she falls asleep on the couch. She wakes to find Johnnie’s name imprinted all over her hands and goes to bed.

Monday has arrived again, and Eleanor has spent the weekend researching Johnnie on her new computer. She reflects on his light brown eyes, how they look familiar and almost like her own. She also reflects on his physical beauty and how it is something of a burden, since beautiful people have to prove they are more than looks and confront fading pulchritude with age.

Eleanor mentions her face’s notable feature: a scar that “slithers” (26) down the right side of her face. She also buys a stack of women’s magazines in order to learn beauty and fashion tips, thereby readying herself to attract the musician. She takes a rare look in the mirror and objects to nearly every part of her body, wishing she were an average-looking woman.

Eleanor’s Mummy once described Eleanor’s father as “‘the gametes donor’” (27), which perplexed young Eleanor. In a flashback, Eleanor, as a child, asks her mother how she came to be. Her Mummy implies that Eleanor’s father sexually assaulted her and that she can’t remember what he looked like. Mummy references the man’s foul smell and that she wishes him dead. 

Eleanor’s Mummy calls on schedule for their weekly Wednesday night phone call. Mummy lives in an unspecified institution. Eleanor’s mother barks at others in the institution while on the phone with her daughter, and her accent changes to mimic that of the other residents. When she speaks with Eleanor, she mimics her daughter’s accent, sounding refined and lively.

Eleanor speaks with trepidation about the singer and her research on him, and her Mummy encourages her to continue. Mummy also speaks about the primal, unbreakable bond between mother and daughter. She wonders which genetic traits she passed to Eleanor. They hang up, and Eleanor discovers she’s crying.