In Paul McCartney's "Eleanor Rigby, the subject of lonely people are obviously the main idea through out the lyrics. The two main characters, Eleanor Rigby and Father McKenzie, are used as examples of two pitiful, lonely people in the world. Despite the fact that they"re connected because she cleans up the church that he preaches in, neither seem to know the other. Is the cause of all of this loneliness and the fact that they not know each other because the Church forbids it? Or is it just the inconsiderateness of the Priest and others? Without companionship, being lonesome wouldn't be an issue. So, the main question that is being asked is, "All the lonely people. Where do they all come from?" .
Without institutions, like a Catholic Church, where it is forbidden for certain people, like priests, to be involved intimately with a woman, certain people, like those priests, wouldn't be lonely. In McCartney's song, Father McKenzie is this example of a lonely person because of an institution he chose to become apart of. No one hears his sermons because no one comes to hear them. This example of loneliness could be considered caused by two reasons: the rules of the Church and Father McKenzie's own choices for joining the Church. .
McCartney's poem says, she "picks up the rice in a church where a wedding has been" when speaking of Eleanor Rigby, the church custodian, and her life of loneliness. The reasons for her lack of companionship isn't clear but it could be the restrictions of the Church keeping her and Father McKenzie apart or just the inconsiderateness of others. Despite the Church's rules, some sort of attention could have been spent on Eleanor's behalf from the priest. Since she spent day after day cleaning up the church buildings and he spent day after day writing sermons in the church, it seems that they should have at least befriended each other. Since they don't seem to speak, even in passing, it gives the idea that Father McKenzie doesn't want to be bothered by this lonely woman because he's more concerned with his unsuccessful sermons.
