Mantığa Aykırı Bir Normalliğin Peşinde Amansız Bir Arayış: Sally Rooney’nin Normal People Romanı

Abstract

Sally Rooney’nin Normal People (2018) isimli romanı Marianne Sheridan ve Connell Waldron isimli iki zeki gencin arasındaki 2011’de başlayıp 2015’e kadar devam eden karmaşık, istikrarsız, fakat aynı zamanda da tutkulu ilişkiyi yazıya döker. Marianne, bir taraftan fırtınalı ilişkilerinde birçok ayrılık ve birleşme yaşarken, diğer bir taraftan da çocukluğunda yaşadığı ev içi şiddetle ve tacizden kaynaklanan psikolojik yaralanmalarıyla baş etmek için paradoksal bir yol izler; sessiz kalmayı tercih eder ve cinsel mazoşist davranışları benimser. Bu çalışmada, ilk olarak Marianne’nin sessiz kalmasının ne ölçüde duygusal ve fiziksel şiddetle savaşmaya yaradığı incelenecektir. Daha sonra ise, Marianne için hem kısa sureli rahatlık sağlayan hem de kendini tanımlamasına yardımcı olan cinsel mazoşist davranışların şiddet ve taciz tarafından nasıl tetiklendiği analiz edilecektir. Böylece, bu çalışma Marianne’in yaralarına sadık kalarak kendini tanımlamasının paradoksal normallik denebilecek bir arayış olduğunu göstererek, günümüzün en önemli sorunlarından biri olan kadına karşı şiddetin ve kadınların şiddetle baş etme yollarının altını çizecektir.

Keywords

• Sally Rooney
• Normal People
• şiddet
• sessizlik
• mazoşizm
• kendini tanımlama

A Relentless Quest for a Paradoxical Normality: Sally Rooney’s Normal People

Abstract

Sally Rooney’s Normal People (2018) documents the complex, unstable, but, at the same time, passionate relationship between two young and intelligent individuals, Marianne Sheridan and Connell Waldron, from 2011 to 2015. While their stormy relationship goes through various separations and reattachments, Marianne follows a paradoxical quest to deal with her psychological wounds stemming from family violence and abuse in her childhood; she chooses to remain silent and adopts masochistic sexual practices. Accordingly, this study will first explore how Marianne’s silence serves as a means of dealing with emotional and physical violence. It will then move onto analyse how Marianne’s harrowing past of violence and abuse pushes her to adopt masochistic sexual practices that give her some relief even if temporarily. By demonstrating that Marianne’s self-definition by keeping loyal to her wounds is a quest that can be defined as a paradoxical normality, this study will draw attention to one of the most important problems of our age; violence against women and their coping strategies to deal with violence.

Keywords

• Sally Rooney
• Normal People
• violence
• silence
• masochism
• self-definition

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