Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Normal People, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Love, Inexperience, and Emotional Intensity
Identity, Insecurity, and Social Status
Miscommunication and Assumptions
Money, Class, and Entitlement
Summary
Analysis
Marianne walks through the supermarket in Carricklea. She’s not grocery shopping, though—going to the store is just something to do. When she goes to pay for a few snacks, she sees Lorraine and Connell. They make small talk, with Connell saying that he didn’t know she was in town. He looks bigger and stronger now. As they all turn to leave, Connell and Lorraine insist on giving Marianne a ride home, and then—after dropping Lorraine at home—Connell drives Marianne to her house.
Given that Marianne takes note of the differences in Connell’s appearance, it’s clear they haven’t been seeing each other lately. By foregrounding the chapter with this new sense of unfamiliarity between Marianne and Connell, the novel encourages readers to reflect on how unsteady their relationship is. Indeed, it’s evident that Marianne and Connell have a volatile, on-off relationship that is quite difficult to track.
Themes
Marianne hasn’t seen Connell since May, when he told her that he wanted to see other people. Before that, Connell had asked Marianne to send him naked pictures of herself. He promised to delete them, but she didn’t understand why he wouldn’t want to keep them. He explained that deleting nude photos is the proper thing to do, making it impossible for the photos to make their way to other people. Marianne asked if Connell would send her one in return, and he wondered if she’d really want a picture of his penis. She said she would, but she also said he probably shouldn’t send it, since she’d never delete it. He laughed, and she joked that she’d look at it every day until her death.
Because the previous chapter ended with Connell feeling unnerved by the intensity of their relationship, it’s possible that he ended things with Marianne because their bond felt too overwhelming. To that end, the anecdote about the naked picture illustrates his discomfort with the idea of having too much power in the relationship—he wanted to make sure Marianne knew he would delete the picture, essentially assuring her that he’d never act like Rob, who had no trouble violating his date’s privacy at the Debs by showing Eric and Connell a nude photo of her. But Marianne didn’t seem to care whether or not he would delete it, a fact that possibly unsettled Connell because it once again suggested that he has an inordinate amount of power in the relationship.
Themes
In the car, Connell and Marianne talk about Jamie, the new guy Marianne has been seeing. When Marianne asks if Connell is seeing anyone, he says he isn’t. Back in May, Connell and Marianne went to a friend’s pool party at the end of the term. At one point, Connell got out of the pool and sat next to her. He even put his arm around her and kissed her shoulder, a gesture that made her very happy because he doesn’t usually show affection. Looking out at their friends, he asked, “Is this what life is like?” She wasn’t sure what he meant. He told her a couple days later that he was going home for the summer.
When Connell asks Marianne if this is “what life is like,” it’s possible that he’s struggling with the fact that everyone around him is wealthy and privileged. He didn’t have a wealthy upbringing, so going to a pool party with friends from a prestigious school is probably something he never envisioned. In fact, before he met Marianne, he assumed he’d go to college close to home and more or less lead the same life he led in secondary school. Now, though, he has embarked on a much different path—one that feels hard to reconcile with his original vision of what life would be like. Unfortunately for Marianne, though, Connell doesn’t articulate any of these thoughts, so she has trouble interpreting what he’s feeling.
Themes
Connell mentions while driving that Marianne hasn’t been responding to his texts. It’s true: she’s been ignoring him. She’d been embarrassed when she had to tell all her friends that they’d broken up, especially because she’d introduced him to all her friends. Joanna, in particular, was confused by what happened—she asked Marianne to tell her exactly what was said during the breakup, but she still seemed confused about it. She also wanted to know if Connell knew much about Marianne’s family life. Joanna herself thought she understood Marianne’s family dynamic, but Marianne knew that nobody really understood it; nobody who comes from a loving household could understand, not even Connell.
Joanna seems to sense the lack of clear, effective communication between Connell and Marianne. The fact that she wants Marianne to tell her exactly what was said during the breakup suggests that she wants to help Marianne figure out what went wrong—which, in turn, suggests that Marianne herself must have indicated to Joanna that she didn’t understand why Connell broke things off so abruptly. The relationship is thus shrouded in mystery because of Connell and Marianne’s struggle to openly communicate.
Themes
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Slightly offended that Marianne didn’t tell him she’d be in town, Connell asks why she’s there. It’s the anniversary of her father’s death, she explains, so she’s there for the Mass that will be held for him at the local church. Feeling sorry for not knowing about the Mass, Connell says he’ll be there, though Marianne says he doesn’t have to come. Still, he insists. She then apologizes for not responding to his texts and invites him inside, but he says he should get home to unload the groceries. The next day, Connell makes eye contact with Marianne at her father’s Mass, supporting her from afar, and in this moment she knows they’re friends again.
For all of Connell’s flaws as a communicator, he manages to give Marianne the emotional support she needs, at least in this moment. By coming to her father’s Mass, he helps her feel less alone. After all, she has a bad relationship with her mother and brother, and she doesn’t feel like anyone really understands her home life. Of course, she doesn’t think Connell understands her home life, either, but the mere fact that he comes to her father’s Mass suggests that he wants to be there for her—a form of support that helps keep their connection alive.
Themes
