Eleanor Rigby

A detailed Summary of Eleanor Rigby

The theme of this poem is certainly not subtle: it's all about lonely people. "Ah, look at all the lonely people! Ah, look at all the lonely people!" (1-2). These are the opening lines of what would become a number one hit song for The Beatles back in 1966. John Lennon and Paul McCartney, the writers and bandleaders, made the theme very clear for the reader and listener, right from the start of the poem.

The poem has two characters, Eleanor Rigby and Father McKenzie. These two characters are connected to one another through one main source, the church. It's where Father McKenzie preaches and Eleanor Rigby works as a custodian or some sort of church worker. This is not however, immediately apparent to the reader unless later looked over more closely. The poem reads, "Eleanor Rigby/ Picks up the rice in the church where a wedding has been." (3-4). So obviously she cares for the church in one sense or another.

But who, besides a church worker, is Eleanor Rigby? To find this, the reader must look deeper than just the churchyard. I feel that she is a very lonely woman who lives in a dream world where she wants to wed and live happily ever after. This dream is further developed in the somew

It might seem that both Eleanor and Father McKenzie should get together. But after further thought, this is an impossible feat. The church, in fact, makes it impossible since it against orthodox for priests to be married. Even if the church did allow priests to date and wed, I don't feel that Father McKenzie would have made an advance toward Eleanor. I feel that he is a man too consumed in trying to better himself and write sermons that will show the church followers just how wrong they are in the way they are living.

But who is the wrong person in the poem? Who is to be blamed for so much loneliness? Having considered this much of the poem, it's appropriate to ask these questions. It is, as the chorus shows, a question John Lennon and Paul McCartney ask, "Where do they all come from?" (10, 20, and 30). The quick and easy answer is that it's no one's fault, it's just a sad reality.

while working in church, or was she just a steadfast Christian who never missed a day of Sunday services in her life? I feel that the latter is a more appropriate explanation of this line. It is my opinion that she was too consumed in the affairs of the church to make friends or outside contact. All of her life was spent in church; therefor it is suiting for her name to die in the church. This line may also represent the quickly dying church that Father McKenzie is supposed to be up keeping. When Eleanor died, there weren't very many more unwavering members left, so the church may soon die as well.

Meanwhile, there is anothe

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Approximate Word count = 1035
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: Music