Like many young adult novels, the climax of Eleanor & Park features a character who runs away to begin a new stage of life.
For example, in The Catcher in the Rye, which Eleanor gifts to Park, Holden Caulfield asserts his independence when he runs away to New York City.
Park knows that Eleanor has to escape from Richie, because Richie has been physically and emotionally abusive to Eleanor for several years.
Also, if Eleanor can escape from Richie, she hopes that she can give the rest of her family the courage to escape from him as well.
Eleanor’s relationship with Park has helped give her the courage to believe that she is worthy of a better life.
Even though Park knows that driving Eleanor to Minnesota means that their relationship will come to an end, he also knows that Eleanor cannot continue to live with Richie, and so he does the noble thing
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Park’s dad had been extremely angry at Park when Park began to wear eyeliner, because his dad wanted Park to demonstrate more traditionally masculine traits, and he had trouble understanding concepts of gender expression.
However, Park’s dad finally respects Park as an adult when he sees how much Park cares about Eleanor and how much he wants to do the right thing.
Throughout the book, driving the truck and knowing how to drive stick shift has been a symbol in the relationship between Park and his dad that represents the difference between being a boy and being a man.
Park’s dad was frustrated by Park’s inability to drive stick shift, because Park’s dad equated driving a stick with being a real man.
So when Park’s dad tells Park to take the truck to drive Eleanor to Minnesota, he is symbolically telling Park that now he considers Park to be a man.
For the first time in the novel, Park finds himself able to drive the stick shift without trouble, showing that Park has grown up.
In Eleanor’s hour of need, Park is able to step up to the plate and support