Things are looking up. I received notification that the gym will be reopening soon for classes. I had to stop painting for a little while, as I could not find some materials but now I have started painting again. I am really happy that my favourite art shop is open again, so I was able to get a couple more canvases and books. What I realised during the lockdown is that I don't really need to shop generally, but I have been happy to see bookshops, art shops, record stores open again. I bought a couple of books this week, it was so exciting to go back to the bookshop and art shop. I am so happy I have been able to see some of my friends, that has made all the difference.
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| Normal People by Sally Rooney, image courtesy of Pinterest. |
To distract myself from the pandemic and the news I re-read the book Normal People by Sally Rooney, I was looking forward to see how it did get adapted for the TV screen. I have to say they have done a good job, as it's not an easy book to transport on a screen, the language is not difficult but it is written in a minimalist way.
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| Marianne & Connell, image courtesy of Pinterest |
It starts with two main characters Marianne & Connell, who both attend the same high school, but their social backgrounds and families are opposite to each other. Marianne comes from a wealthy background and has no friends, she is studious and not liked by the other kids in school. Connell instead is very popular at school, is popular among his sports club, and his family his working class. Connell's mother is the cleaner in Marianne's house. Their mothers could not be more different, while Connell's mother is warm & grounded, Marianne's mother is an emotional iceberg. Both Marianne and Connell lack a father figure in their life.
Marianne & Connell, start seeing each other in secret, Connell is worried about his reputation among his peers, about seeing Marianne.
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| Image courtesy of Pinterest. |
There is plenty of sex but it's not just about the sex, it is more about them expressing their identity though sex or not, more a journey of self discovery, questioning one's own place in the world, things said and not said which then go and affect the relationship. Questioning with whom one is friends? Is it truly friendship? If your boyfriend or girlfriend has friends you can't stand and vice-versa can the relationship last? Can you survive as a couple if you come from very different social backgrounds? What if your partner is also your only true friend, how does that affect the relationship?
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| Image courtesy of Pinterest. |
Or they just fell into each other just because they are in the same group at school, even if Marianne is the outsider there. It's also about isolation. In Marianne's case her wealthy family sets her apart from the rest of group in school. Do the other kids bully her because she is wealthy? Are they envious of her because she is smart? Marianne is strong at answering back in school to her peers but she has no voice at home. Connell is popular on the surface but in the University years he suffers from depression and isolation after the death of a friend. Both Connell & Marianne have low self worth which they need to work through and which manifests itself in different ways. Marianne will be supportive of Connell. There is a reversing of roles when they both go to the same University in Dublin to study. While Marianne in high school was the misunderstood loner, at University she has a group of friends with whom she is comfortable and who are from a similar background, and she is able to open up more and be herself more; Connell, however, feels lonely and isolated, he fails to make any real connections with other students in Dublin, and deep down he misses his friends from back home with whom he feels more comfortable. He misses the sense of community he was part of in high school but was it real or just apparent? There is a lot about toxic masculinity and being at the receiving end of it but also Connell's vulnerability as a man is shown up.
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| Image courtesy of Pinterest. |
I also found interesting that Marianne's toxic family, the way she is treated at home, expresses itself through her sexuality especially while she is studying at University.
The story shows how they go through misunderstandings and things left unsaid; how in high school they are stuck in their roles of nerd and jock, while at University they evolve but still have issues communicating with each other.
It's a sensitive portrait about growing up but it is not your average rom-com, it is multilayered, it stays with you, the pain, the confusion, the joy they feel. It made me want to go and visit Dublin, though I did find at times the accents hard to understand but it is beautifully shot with muted colours, lots of close ups like in a still life painting. From the outside they might look like Normal People but they aren't really, they are both complex characters and that's what makes it good to watch.
Black Lives Matter protests - Social Media.
What a couple of weeks! We had Black Lives Matter protests both here in England and the USA, hopefully bringing positive change. There is a lot of suffering and injustice and a lot of healing that needs to be done, and proper legislation to make people in power more accountable. The lack of jobs for a lot of people pushed some into protest, the media showing division and unrest, it's important during a crisis to look out for each other and to practise self care. Also the the toppling of statues here in England, a pivotal, unprecedented moment. Some people protesting because they mean it, others out of boredom. Shops have reopened, the streets have been busy lately, some people wear masks others do not, it's good that one can choose whether to wear it or not without being told off by strangers. It is obligatory to wear a mask on public transport anyhow, I also wear a mask, now inside of shops because it is more busy. It is still weird that people can go to the shops but not back to the office, or schools. I have seen people just going fast in their cars, just out of boredom.
Some people have been arguing about the lockdown (unlike Brexit where one can agree to disagree), lockdown measures have gone deeper, they affect one's daily life. Some people have lost friends because of the lockdown, due to the fact they didn't follow the lockdown at all, or the opposite they follow it very strictly, so they have been arguing about it and are no longer talking to each other, more disruption to the disruption. Luckily this is not my case but I have heard of others going through this which has been a rather unsettling, isolating and painful experience for some.
Nowadays with social media everything has become over-simplified, people are either good or bad, but actually they can also be both at the same time. Some past figures overgeneralised and over simplified, this has created a lack of figures one can look up to because everybody gets torn down. The reality is nobody is perfect, nobody can survive this high level of scrutiny & self righteousness of social media, many people have turned into armchair judges. On social media you are either for or against something, the over simplified way of communicating on it with people you don't know well or at all, and the fact that one can write anonymously, increases antagonistic aggressive behaviour in some. If you don't support a specific cause or protest online you can get criticised for not supporting the cause, which might not be the case. Some people are taking up causes temporarily because it is fashionable, it makes them look good on social media and in a period with no sense of purpose when schools are shut, and a lot of people are out of work, it gives them temporarily a sense of purpose. Social media is a platform for a lot of people that don't have voice on mainstream media to share their thoughts, but with so many people screaming online is there anybody listening any more?
Mirta Imperatori Copyright 2020
