Normal People: How Social and Economic Class Affect Modern-Day Relationships

Rachel Tarby // Blog Writer

Normal People by Sally Rooney is a novel that features two protagonists, Marianne and Connell, who have a very strong gravitation toward each other. This unique portrayal of a modern-day love story shows a more realistic couple, as nothing in their lives is perfect and they face many challenges. Their relationship is “on-again, off-again” through their final year of high school into their college years; however, they remain friends and are always there for each other. Marianne and Connell have a special understanding, which contributes to the fact that they always feel love for one another and eventually end up together. While they both want to be in each other’s lives forever, they still face many obstacles—such as long-distance communication and seeing other people—most notably their differences in social class and economic status. The ways that Marianne and Connell are affected by the role of classes within society reveals the way that both social and economic status affect real-world relationships.  

Marianne comes from a very wealthy family, living in a mansion that Connell’s mother is hired to clean. Being that Connell’s mother cleans Marianne’s mansion, it is evident that Connell is of a lower economic status. This evident difference of the economic status of Marianne’s family compared to Connell’s family plays a role in their relationship dynamic throughout the novel. Marianne and Connell attend the same university as each other after high school; while Connell recognizes the high cost of college, and has to work in order to pay rent, Marianne does not have to worry about tuition prices as her family’s wealth allows her to be financially stable. The difference in economic classes frustrates Connell, as he realizes that Marianne does not have to face his same struggles, and therefore cannot understand why money is so important to him. Economic status affects their relationship as it creates a divide in which they cannot fully relate to each other’s experiences. 

Although Marianne is of a higher economic class than Connell, in their high school days, Connell held the majority of the power in their relationship. Connell was very popular and well-liked in high school, while Marianne was disliked and unwelcomed by most. This difference in high school social status caused Connell to keep his relationship with Marianne hidden and ultimately hurt her by allowing the influence of his social class to dictate his relationships with others. The role of social classes affects how people interact with one another; in this case, Connell did not want to be perceived negatively by his peers by having a romantic interest in an individual of a lower social status. 

I feel that Rooney’s Normal People encapsulates how people allow differences in class to affect how they interact with relationships. The characters of Connell and Marianne show how these class roles are ingrained within society and influence the way we perceive others. The way that Connell treats Marianne poorly during high school, due to being more popular than her, relates to the way that teenagers specifically interact differently with people who are of a different social class than them. In terms of economic status, Marianne’s inability to understand Connell’s financial challenges reveals the difference in perception of life that those of wealth have compared to the less well-off. Overall, the issues regarding economic status and social status are faced by everyone, and these classes influence the way that we live and the way we act in relationships.