How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
"I have to sit somewhere," the girl said to Tina in a firm, calm voice. (1.55)
From the first minute we meet Eleanor, we can see she's not going to shrink away from a bully, even a bully as nasty as Tina. It takes a lot of guts to remain calm in this kind of situation.
Quote #2
If this had happened two summers ago, Eleanor would have run and banged on the door herself. She would have yelled at Richie to stop. She would have called 911 at the very, very least. But now that seemed like something a child would do, or a fool. (10.19)
Courage isn't always about standing up to an attacker. Eleanor's shown a lot of bravery dealing with Richie, but she's smart enough to know when her actions just won't help.
Quote #3
"Smarter than I ever was," her mom said. "And braver. I haven't been on my own since the eighth grade." (43.84)
This quote from Sabrina is a really crucial insight into Sabrina's motivations, and it's a sad truth. Sabrina admits, here, that she's afraid of being alone—so afraid that she's constantly been with a terrible partner for her entire life. Amazing that she admires Eleanor's bravery for being without a guy (even though Eleanor does actually have Park at this point), and says she's never been brave enough to be without one.
Quote #4
"I know what you're up to," he said, raising his voice, just as the door closed. "Nothing but a b**** in heat."
Eleanor let his words hit her full-on. Took them right in the chin. (14.106-107)
Richie says terrifying things, and Eleanor just takes them. We're picturing her here as some sort of knight with a big shield, deflecting fire from a dragon.
Quote #5
"No," she said firmly, squeezing her hands into fists, "this is exactly the sort of thing I shouldn't take seriously […] If they think they're getting to me? They'll never leave me alone." (30.77)
Eleanor knows things will get much worse if she shows emotion in front of the bullies at school, but it still takes a lot of bravery to be as stoic as she is.
Quote #6
"If I ever hear you call her that again, I'll kill you. I'll literally kill you. I'll go to jail for the rest of my life, and it'll break Mom's heart, but I will. Kill. You." (19.100)
So here's Park, reacting to Josh calling Eleanor one of the nicknames the bullies use at school. Even though it's not the easiest thing for Park to admit that Eleanor is his girlfriend, once he admits it, he's ready to defend her to the death. Although we kind of doubt he'd really kill his own brother, it's a noble sentiment.
Quote #7
She went up to the hall closet, found three brand-new toothbrushes, and shoved them into the front of her pants, along with a bar of Dove soap. Donna might have seen her […] but she didn't say anything.
Eleanor felt sorry for Donna. Her dad never laughed at anyone's jokes but his own. (20.4-5)
So here's Eleanor, out of her own house for the first time in a long time, and what does she do? She steals toothbrushes for her siblings. And while she's doing it, she can only think of how sorry she is for her dad's new wife. This is one part courage, and one part total selflessness.
Quote #8
"I'm ending this."
"No. Come on. It's not worth it."
"You are," he said fiercely, looking at her. "You're worth it." (22.46-48)
Here's Park, once again in the role of Eleanor's knight in armor—not that she really wants a knight in armor. But Park's ready to defend her against anyone and anything, no matter what. (And he might be a little bit motivated to stop the bullying because it would make his own life easier, too.)
Quote #9
Park lifted his head. His whole face was covered with blood. He staggered forward and the assistant principal caught him. "Leave… my girlfriend… alone." (22.70)
Kicking the king of the popular crowd in the face? Calling social outcast Eleanor your girlfriend in front of most of the school? Yeah, we'd call that pretty brave.
Quote #10
The next time she called 911, she was going to request cops who wouldn't send her alone into an unoccupied building. Did firemen do this, too? Hey, kid, you go in first and unlock the door. (24.29)
Eleanor shows a huge amount of grace under fire when she sneaks to her neighbor's house to call 911 after hearing gunfire at her house one night. And only Eleanor could carry on a funny internal monologue while she's in a terrifying situation. The fact that the cops sent her back into her house after she heard gunshots? No wonder she doesn't feel too confident calling them about Richie.