Journal of English Language Teaching and Literature (JELITA)
Vol 7 No 2 (2026): Journal of English Language Teaching and Literature (JELITA)

Fragments of Love and Conflict: Mother-Daughter Dynamics in “Everything Everywhere All at Once” through Object Relation Perspective

Syamimi Salsabila (Universitas Muhammadiyah Purwokerto, Indonesia)
Widya Nirmalawati (Universitas Muhammadiyah Purwokerto, Indonesia)
Titik Wahyuningsih (Universitas Muhammadiyah Purwokerto, Indonesia)
Sulasih Nurhayati (Universitas Muhammadiyah Purwokerto, Indonesia)



Article Info

Publish Date
15 Aug 2026

Abstract

This study examines how internalized object relations, emotional misattunement, and maternal trauma shape the representation of the mother-daughter bond between Evelyn and Joy Wang in Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022), using Melanie Klein's and Donald Winnicott's Object Relations Theory. Although the film has attracted scholarly attention for its treatment of immigrant identity, existentialism, and multiversal narrative structure, no prior study has analyzed it through an object relations lens. Using a qualitative descriptive design, this study analyzes purposively selected scenes depicting Evelyn's and Joy's psychological states and their relational dynamics, interpreting them through Kleinian concepts of splitting, and Winnicottian concepts of the holding environment and the good-enough mother. The multiverse is read as a visual metaphor for Joy's psychological fragmentation resulting from repeated emotional misattunement. The analysis shows that Evelyn's unresolved childhood trauma produces a controlling, invalidating parenting pattern that Joy internalizes as rejection, fragmenting her sense of self into the alter ego Jobu Tupaki; reconciliation becomes possible once Evelyn replaces control with unconditional presence, illustrating how emotional repair can interrupt intergenerational trauma.

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Journal Info

Abbrev

jelita

Publisher

Subject

Arts Education Languange, Linguistic, Communication & Media

Description

This journal aims at covering (but not limited) the fields of: Education: Basic and Intermediate Education, Higher Education, Issues in Education, Educational Theories, Educational Psychology, Educational Philosophy, Teacher Training and Education Science, Curriculum and Materials Development, ...