Perspectives

Literary perspective

Normal People by Sally Rooney can be seen as a Realist work of fiction. Realism seeks to offer in-depth psychological characterizations and detailed descriptions of everyday life. Rooney’s novel focuses on Marianne and Connell as central characters who are explored deeply through their young adulthood. Re…

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TV adaptation 

Normal People has been adapted into a limited TV series in 2020. D…

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Works with similar themes

The theme of identity is explored in the short story “The Dead” by James Joyce. Also set in Ireland, “The Dead” explores the way personal identity and national identity can or cannot be compatible for the main character. Normal People looks at the way someone’s personal identity is defined by themselves or their environment. When comparing the two texts, it could be useful to look at the way class is used as a tool to shape someone’s identity. 

The short story “Why Don’t You Dance?” by Raymond Carver also explores the theme of relationships, by looking at romantic relationship at different phases: a middle-aged man at the end of his relationship and a young couple. Normal People follows the two main characters through their relationships with each other and with different people. 

In “The End of Something”, Ernest Hemmingway explores the theme of identity by looking at how it changes when one person enters a relationship with another. The main character of the short story, Nick, breaks up with his girlfriend as he is frustrated with how the relationship is affecting his identity, but after breaking up, his newfound identity as a single person is scary to him and he needs to adjust to it. Similarly, in Normal People, Connell is scared by how different he feels he can behave when he is around Marianne and away from his school friends. When comparing the two texts, it could be useful to look at the ways the main characters’ identities are shaped by the people they are in a relationship with.…