Eleanor Rigby Loneliness is a reoccurring theme in all types of literature. “Eleanor Rigby,” by John Lennon and Paul McCartney is a fine example of the theme of loneliness in poetry. The two characters in “Eleanor Rigby” are compared by their loneliness through the extensive use of symbols. The poem begins with the refrain, “Ah, look at all the lonely people.” The same refrain is used to end the poem, making a complete circle. This creates, for the reader, a sense of loneliness about the poem as a whole. In the second stanza, Eleanor is introduced as a woman who cannot face the world as her self. She wears the “face that sh