Through the Looking Glass: A Psychoanalytic Exploration of Social Integration and Growth in Gail Honeyman’s Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine
Abstract
Gail Honeyman’s debut novel, Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine (2017), challenges simplistic narratives of complex trauma by offering a nuanced exploration of the protagonist’s journey toward social connection and emotional healing. Through a psychoanalytical lens, this study argues that the novel critiques societal reliance on linear recovery narratives through Eleanor’s seemingly contradictory coping mechanisms. Her rigid routines and intellectualisation, while initially providing a sense of control, ultimately hinder her attempts at forming secure attachments. “Through the Looking Glass” metaphorically represents Eleanor’s unconscious mind, a realm where hidden traumas, distortions, and suppressed desires shape her altered perception of reality, intensifying her struggles with social integration and exposing her vulnerability. By re-examining her repeated social faux pas, often stemming from a childhood marked by neglect, this paper brings to the fore how the novel portrays the long-lasting effects of complex trauma on adult social integration and identity formation. Through an analysis of the novel’s engagement with contemporary mental health discourse, this study underscores the therapeutic potential of storytelling and emphasises empathy as an essential element in fostering both social inclusion and personal growth.
Keywords: Complex trauma; social integration; Attachment theory; Defence mechanisms; Mental health narrative; Narrative therapy
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