Love, Inexperience, and Emotional Intensity
Normal People is a novel about first love and the experience of opening up romantically to another person. Although there are factors working against them from the very beginning of their relationship, Connell and Marianne never seem to fully move on from their close bond. They start seeing each other in secondary school, but Connell insists on keeping the relationship a secret because Marianne is widely disliked. His unwillingness to publicly acknowledge his feelings for…
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Identity, Insecurity, and Social Status
Miscommunication and Assumptions
In Normal People, Marianne and Connell’s separate insecurities impact and complicate their relationship. Connell, for his part, often worries about fitting in, whether that means protecting his popularity in secondary school or feeling out of place among rich intellectuals at Trinity College in Dublin. Marianne, on the other hand, doesn’t care quite as much about fitting in socially, but she does worry about whether or not she’s deserving of kindness and love. Her…
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Money, Class, and Entitlement
Normal People highlights the relational tensions that often arise as a result of class disparity. Connell comes from a working-class background and is very conscious of his modest upbringing, especially since his mother works as a housecleaner for Marianne’s family, who are very wealthy. Marianne and Connell tend to avoid the subject of money when possible, and though Connell doesn’t necessarily hold Marianne’s wealth against her, he can’t help but notice the many ways…
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