Ayesha answers “So I am just getting to the point in this...”

Margie asked this question about Normal People:

So I am just getting to the point in this where Marianne has started to eat less and less, fixating on her food and savouring it. Essentially, it reads like she's moving towards anorexia if she hasn't already. Without giving too much away, does it have a happier ending? Does she get therapy? I know too many people with severe mental health problems in real life to want to read further if it doesn't :(

Ayesha It may just be me, but I don't perceive her lack of eating and the desire to consume anything as anorexia, but rather a deep form of tiredness and sel…moreIt may just be me, but I don't perceive her lack of eating and the desire to consume anything as anorexia, but rather a deep form of tiredness and self-loathing. She may just be acting this way as the thought of having to get up and fill herself just seems so pointless and tiresome; or my original theory based on what I've seen from people around me, that she deems herself unworthy of pleasure, a theme recurrent throughout the novel, which leads to her continuously suppressing her need to eat.(less)

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Kim I agree that Marianne 'deems herself unworthy of pleasure'. Her self-loathing is the most significant part of the characterisation. The ending confirm ...more
Jun 15, 2020 05:11AM · flag

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