User:Tori.anne101/Normal People

Key Themes
Sally Rooney’s novel Normal People displays strong themes of love in a capitalist society and demonstrates love across class division. The main character, Marianne and Connell, know each other from school but also know each other as Connell’s mother is a maid for Marianne’s. This establishes the class divide in their relationship, as Marianne comes from a bourgeois family, and Connell’s family is working class.

Money is a theme present in all of Rooney’s works, Normal People follows this pattern. Both Marianne and Connell have different views on their socio-economic backgrounds. Connell is very troubled with the fact that his money comes from his mother who works for Marianne, whereas Marianne is seemingly unbothered by spending money. He feels that he is trapped in this cycle where the money he spends on Marianne comes from his mother, who gets the money from Marianne’s family. However, Connell lets the class divide come between them numerous times as he is afraid of how he will be perceived. In school, Connell is popular and well liked by his classmates, unlike Marianne. This causes Connell to ask Marianne to keep their relationship a secret so people do not find out his mom works for hers.

When the pair both attend the prestigious Trinity College in Dublin, this class division becomes more apparent. Marianne easily fits in with her upper class classmates who come from similar backgrounds as her’s, whereas Connell is continuously looked down on by these people for being of lower socio-economic status. As their relationship continues, their class background drives them apart. Marianne and Connell start to find friends and partners who fall into the same social class as them. When Marianne starts to date Jamie in their second year of university, Connell feels out of place in her world because of his lack of wealth.

The theme of money and battle between socio-economic classes drives Marianne and Connell apart as they navigate early adulthood. Rooney uses these characters to explore how love across a class divide can keep people apart.