59 pages • 1 hour read
Gail HoneymanEleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2017A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
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BetaChapters 9-12Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 9 Summary
At the hospital, Raymond and Eleanor approach Sammy’s bed, and the old man takes them for salespeople or proselytizers until he inserts a hearing aid. Raymond introduces himself and Eleanor as the ones who called the ambulance for Sammy. Sammy brightens, expressing gratitude to his “‘Good Samaritans’” (77). Eleanor contradicts Sammy’s assumptions that they saved his life and that she and Raymond are married. Then Sammy and Raymond chat about themselves, Sammy’s former mail-carrier job, and his family. Raymond and Eleanor promise to visit again; Eleanor feels surprised and pleased by Sammy’s affectionate clasp on her hands and his insistence that “‘we’re family now’” (81).
As she and Raymond exit the hospital, Eleanor discovers tears in her eyes. Raymond asks about her plans that evening, and Eleanor remembers that it’s her birthday. Raymond invites Eleanor to his mother’s house. Eleanor considers seeing someone else’s home, which she hasn’t done since a coworker’s party several years back, during which the woman sold her guests sex toys. She decides, despite her misgivings about socializing, to accept Raymond’s invitation.
Chapter 10 Summary
Eleanor and Raymond board the bus to travel to his mother’s home. On the way, Eleanor waxes on about travel passes, and Raymond barely responds. They arrive at his mother’s house, and Eleanor studies the familiar suburban neighborhood and the neat, spare interior of the home. Eleanor chats with Mrs. Gibbons about her job and her background. Mrs. Gibbons talks about Raymond’s late father and his sister, Denise. Mrs. Gibbons suggests pulling out the photo album for Eleanor, but Eleanor declines after noticing Raymond’s embarrassed reaction.
Eleanor stays for tea, a full dinner, and dessert. Raymond insists on washing dishes; Eleanor assists. Mrs. Gibbons asks after Eleanor’s love life (she responds with a coy allusion to the musician) and her family. Talking about her lack of siblings and facing questions about her parents, Eleanor begins to sob uncontrollably. She gathers herself and apologizes to Mrs. Gibbons and Raymond, who respond with sympathy. Eleanor explains that she and her mother have a difficult relationship and that she never knew her father.
Raymond and Eleanor help with Mrs. Gibbons’ chores. Eleanor hangs up laundry outside and reflects on how safe and normal Raymond’s upbringing was compared to hers. She helps Raymond make the bed. Eleanor departs, and Mrs. Gibbons insists she return with or without Raymond. The day’s two warm encounters have surprised and pleased Eleanor, and she considers herself more ready than ever to meet the musician.
Chapter 11 Summary
The following week, Eleanor overhears her coworkers discussing venue options for this year’s annual Christmas party. They ask Eleanor her opinion, and she replies with apathy, since she won’t attend the party. Raymond asks her to visit Sammy with him that evening, and Eleanor accepts.
At the hospital, Eleanor arrives with healthy foods like pumpkin seeds and kale for Sammy, whereas Raymond has brought junk food and a newspaper. Inside, Eleanor and Raymond meet Sammy’s three children: Keith, Gary, and Laura. Sammy says he will be released from the hospital on Saturday and is throwing a party to celebrate. His daughter, Laura, invites Raymond and Eleanor to the party, and they both agree to attend. Eleanor notices Raymond staring at Laura, who has “cliched” (104) blonde hair and large breasts. Eleanor and Raymond then exit the hospital.
Chapter 12 Summary
At the office the following day, Eleanor finds a leaflet offering 30% off manicures at a local department store. She decides to get a manicure there in anticipation of meeting Johnnie Lomond and attending Sammy’s party. Eleanor is confounded by the process of the manicure and balks when the technician reaches into her bag for her wallet, protecting Eleanor’s wet nails. She leaves, telling the technicians she won’t be returning and can do her own nails from now on.
At home, Eleanor considers her limited wardrobe and decides to buy new clothes. The phone rings, and it’s her Mummy, angry that Eleanor wasn’t home for their Wednesday night call. Eleanor tries to explain, but her mother speaks with cruel indifference about her daughter’s new friends.
Her Mummy is excited to hear about Eleanor’s reconnaissance at the musician’s home but calls her “‘overcautious and lily-livered’” for not venturing inside (112). Mummy encourages Eleanor to seize the opportunity with bold action then insults and threatens to injure her daughter’s unscarred cheek.
Chapters 9-12 Analysis
In these chapters, Eleanor encounters families very unlike her own. Meeting Sammy at the hospital offers her the fatherly affection she has never known, and Eleanor is shocked to discover how Sammy’s genuine gratitude moves her and makes her yearn for further connection. Meeting Sammy’s family overwhelms her even more, as she is unaccustomed to seeing an affectionate bond between parent and child.
The scene at Mrs. Gibbons’ house puts a finer point on these themes. Mrs. Gibbons’ neighborhood resembles the social housing Eleanor occupied during foster care, but a few pleasant hours with Raymond and his mother renew Eleanor’s view of such surroundings. “Everything felt safe, everything felt normal,” says Eleanor, “How different Raymond’s life had been from mine—a proper family, a mother and a father and a sister, nestled among other proper families” (96).
Mrs. Gibbons’ upbeat, caring nature contrasts Eleanor’s mother’s harshness, showcased again during Mummy’s vindictive phone call in Chapter 12. Mrs. Gibbons also contrasts Eleanor’s solitary lifestyle. Rather than neglecting her home, she perfects it; rather than subsisting on simple meals, she takes joy in home-cooked flavor; rather than accepting her loneliness, she invites Eleanor back as a guest.
Raymond, a dramatic foil to Eleanor, continues to be a force for good but also a reluctant companion. Eleanor places Raymond in the phylum of “pedestrian dullards” (104), but his friendly demeanor clearly wins him quick friends in Sammy and Sammy’s family members. Ever the observer, Eleanor remains insecure about social interaction and studies the people around her to learn cues that have eluded her until now. Eleanor sees a new side of Raymond at his mother’s house, where Mrs. Gibbons treats her son with warmth, humor, and love, but Eleanor still resists his assumption that she will visit his mother again.
Eleanor’s social misfires abound in these chapters, both as comic moments and as reminders of her prolonged isolation. Straightforward and unfiltered, Eleanor only demurs before one person: her Mummy. During the phone call in Chapter 12, Eleanor attempts to placate her mother’s anger, but Mummy calls her a failure and a coward.
