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Sally Rooney Normal People Sparknotes

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Sally Rooney’s Storytelling in Normal People Sally Rooney’s Normal People examines struggles that young adults face, such as identity, love, and social status, which creates an intriguing basis for Rooney’s storytelling and character development. Rooney’s storytelling techniques defy other authors' contemporary standards, such as constantly changing points of view and not using quotation marks. Her techniques create an intimate and unique story for readers that acts as a conversation, not a quote on paper. Due to the informal nature of the story, Rooney changes the reader's expectations of usual quotations and dialogue and proposes that quotations restrict the mind to the story being only a “story” or fiction. Additionally, her changes in the …show more content…

An example is when Marianne discusses with Connell how her father used to abuse her. “She presses her face very hard against his chest. My dad used to hit my mom, she said. For a few seconds, which seems like an unbelievably long time, Connell says nothing. Then he says, Jesus. I’m sorry for that, I’m sorry. I didn’t know that” (Rooney, 43). Even though the situation is severe, the problem can be explained simply without adding additional information. Rooney also does not need to introduce a point of view to examine Marianne’s thoughts on the situation, since everything is said without having to explore the trauma that she went through. Rooney withholding information accentuates the concept of human connection and how humans withhold certain information for their own personal reasons. Exploring the idea of withholding information in writing for a character creates a connection that readers can have with the story due to its realistic approach. Her simple language does not challenge readers, but the more in-depth meaning behind her words challenges readers to examine her writings …show more content…

An example is when the point of view changes to Connell and shows how everyone else’s opinions of Marianne have influenced him into thinking poorly of her, even though he falls in love with her towards the end of the story. “.She is considered an object of disgust.People have said she doesn’t shave her legs or anything.Connell once heard that she spilled chocolate ice cream on herself in the school lunchroom, and she went to the girls’ bathrooms and took her blouse off to wash it in the sink” (Rooney 3). Rooney’s fluctuating between Marianne and Connell gives insight into how they feel towards one another and how other people’s comments shape their thoughts. If the point of view were strictly first person, readers would be unable to discover that Connell thought differently of Marianne before dating her. The decision of Rooney to use free and indirect discourse elevates the reading experience by allowing readers not to be limited to one person and showing how the characters' thoughts affect their actions in the story. Supplying this information to the narrative highlights her flaws, what others think of her, and how that shapes her self-image. Rooney shaped her novel to be read by adults, and since she was 27 when this was published, she experienced firsthand how she had to adapt to

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