Oliphant in the Room: Identity, Desire and Social Media in Gail Honeyman’s Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine

Abstract

In an era characterised by constant surveillance, targeted advertising, privacy concerns, and the omnipresence of digital technology, the concept of digital minimalism has garnered increasing attention. While certain literary responses, such as in novels like Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel and The Circle by Dave Eggers, have portrayed worlds overwhelmed by technological collapse, a separate set of novels—including novels like Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman etc.—explore the transformative journeys of characters as they transition from an immersed digital existence to one characterised by self-reliance and digital minimalism. This paper seeks to delve into this latter novel by Gail Honeyman with an aim to examine how these works fictionalise the isolation, identity performance and desire for the unattainable while dealing with a world full of different means of communication. Beyond illustrating the practical aspects, opportunity costs and associated challenges of embracing minimalism in a digital age, these novels delve deep into the psychological motives, repressions, nostalgia, hopelessness, and individual traumas experienced by the characters. These portrayals stand in stark contrast to the trends found in self-help literature and the world of social media. Through a critical analysis of this novel, the paper will shed light on the nuanced portrayal of a postdigital picture of literature and the intricate interplay between technology, human psychology, and societal pressures. Moreover, this paper seeks to indulge in the character analysis of the main character of the novels to examine how she evolves or devolves against the entropic nature of social media communication. By exploring the character’s journeys and the emotional landscapes they navigate, this study aims to contribute to a deeper understanding of the individual and collective experiences within an increasingly digitised world. The paper will utilise insights from theories ranging from postmodernism, psychoanalysis to media ecology to explore the themes in the select novels.