From Destabilisation to Reparative Connection: A Derridean Reading of Sally Rooney's Normal People

Authors

  • Blesslin Femi J Vel Tech Rangarajan Dr. Sagunthala R&D Institute of Science and Technology
  • P. Revathi Vel Tech Rangarajan Dr. Sagunthala R&D Institute of Science and Technology
  • Syed Wahaj Mohsin Prince Sattam bin Abdulaziz University
  • A Anne Dorathy Saveetha Engineering College
  • R. Ramya Meenakshi College of Engineering

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.17507/tpls.1601.19

Keywords:

deconstruction, destabilisation, progression, ambiguity, modern

Abstract

This research paper analyses Sally Rooney's Normal People through the lens of Derridean deconstruction, focusing on how the novel destabilises meaning, critiques binary oppositions, and subverts traditional narrative closure. The study explores how Rooney's portrayal of vulnerability and emotional openness offers a progressive relational ethic, aligning with Derrida's concept of différance. It argues that the text not only destabilises but also offers a reparative model of human connection, embracing ambiguity in an uncertain cultural landscape. The paper contributes to the literary discourse by demonstrating how deconstruction reveals not only fragmentation but also the potential for healing and relational openness.

Author Biographies

Blesslin Femi J, Vel Tech Rangarajan Dr. Sagunthala R&D Institute of Science and Technology

Department of English

P. Revathi, Vel Tech Rangarajan Dr. Sagunthala R&D Institute of Science and Technology

Department of English

Syed Wahaj Mohsin, Prince Sattam bin Abdulaziz University

Department of English Language and Literature, College of Science and Humanity Studies

A Anne Dorathy, Saveetha Engineering College

Department of English

References

Alférez Mendia, S. (2024). Affective relationships in the twenty-first century: A Derridean approach to Normal People and Conversations with Friends. Gaudeamus, 2, 33–51.

Angelo, B. M. B. (2024). (Im)possible facilitating environments: The spaces of family in Sally Rooney’s Normal People. ABEI Journal, 26(1).

Barros-del Río, M. A. (2022). Sally Rooney’s Normal People: The millennial novel of formation in recessionary Ireland. Irish Studies Review, 30(2), 176–192. https://doi.org/10.1080/09670882.2022.2080036

Benny, A. (2022). Deconstruction of binaries in the novel "Heart of Darkness. International Journal of Novel Research and Development (IJNRD). Retrieved April 21, 2025, from https://www.ijnrd.org/papers/IJNRD2210068.pdf

Carregal-Romero, J. (2023). Unspeakable injuries and neoliberal subjectivities in Sally Rooney's Conversations with Friends and Normal People. In M. T. Caneda-Cabrera & J. Carregal-Romero (Eds.), Narratives of the Unspoken in Contemporary Irish Fiction (pp. 223–242). Retrieved April 24, 2025, from Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-30455-2_11

Cobussen, M. (n.d.). Deconstruction in music. Thinking Sounds. Retrieved April 22, 2025, from https://www.thinkingsound.net

Derrida, J. (1944). Of Grammatology (G. C. Spivak, Trans.). Motilal Banarsidass Publishers Private Limited.

Derrida, J. (1978). Writing and difference. The University of Chicago Press; Routledge & Kegan Paul Ltd. Retrieved April 22, 2025, from https://monoskop.org/images/8/84/Derrida_Jacques_Writing_and_Difference_1978.pdf

Derrida, J. (2016). Of Grammatology (G. C. Spivak, Trans.; J. Butler, Intro.; 40th Anniversary ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. Retrieved April 23, 2025, from https://www.press.jhu.edu/books/title/11199/grammatology

Derrida, J., & Moore, F. C. T. (1974). White mythology: Metaphor in the text of philosophy. New Literary History, 6(1), 5–74. Retrieved April 20, 2025, http://www.jstor.org/stable/468341

Ferdinal, F., Sudarmoko, S., Dewi, C., & Oktavianus, O. (2024). Dismembering the issues of capitalism, human rights, and the mental health of Irish people in the novel Normal People by Sally Rooney. OKARA: Jurnal Bahasa dan Sastra, 18(2). Retrieved April 14, 2025, from https://revistas.usp.br/abei/article/view/223086

Gunkel, D. J. (n.d.). Deconstruction. Studia Philosophiae Christianae. Retrieved April 25, 2025, from https://czasopisma.uksw.edu.pl/index.php/spch/article/view/11741

Hartman, A. (2015, December 9). Jacques Derrida: What a différance an ‘A’ makes. Retrieved March 11, 2025, from https://s-usih.org/2015/12/jacques-derrida-what-a-differance-an-a-makes/

Jones, L. (2002). Derrida goes to nursery school: Deconstructing young children's stories. Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood, 3(1), 4–12. Retrieved April 21, 2025, from https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.2304/ciec.2002.3.1.4

Kavula Sikirivwa, M. (2020). Deconstruction theory and its background. American Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences Research (AJHSSR), 4(4), 444–472. Retrieved April 29, 2025, from https://www.ajhssr.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/E20444472.pdf

Malabou, C. (2004). The future of Hegel: Plasticity, temporality and dialectic (1st ed.). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203489338

Mambrol, N. (2024, August 1). Derrida’s différance. Literary Theory and Criticism. Retrieved March 14, 2025, from https://literariness.org/

Oroskhan, M. H. (2019). Metaphysical or differential: Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby under the Derridean concept of love. Theory and Practice in Language Studies, 9(12), 1486–1492. Retrieved May 01, 2025, from http://www.academypublication.com/issues2/tpls/vol09/12/04.pdf

Pakdaman, F. S. (n.d.). Normal People: Kudos to vulnerability, a tribute to friendship. Review of European Studies. Retrieved April 23, 2025, from https://www.ccsenet.org/journal/index.php/res/article/view/0/44231

Rahim, A. (2021, June 16). Derrida's idea of binary opposition. Learn With Rahim. Retrieved May 1, 2025, from https://learnwithrahim.com/derridas-idea-of-binary-opposition/

Reynolds, J. (n.d.). Jacques Derrida. Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Retrieved May 9, 2025, from https://iep.utm.edu/jacques-derrida/

Rooney, S. (2018). Normal People [PDF]. Retrieved April 22, 2025, from https://marul.ffst.hr/~bwillems/fymob/npsr.pdf

Royle, N. (2003). Jacques Derrida. Psychology Press.

Rutzou, T. (2015). In pursuit of the real: Postmodernism and critical realism. Retrieved April 30, 2025, from https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10021917/1/In%20Pursuit%20of%20the%20Real%20-%20Postmodernism%20and%20Critical%20Realism%20-%20Timothy%20Rutzou-%20Revisions.pdf

Turner, C. (2016, May 27). Jacques Derrida: Deconstruction. Critical Legal Thinking. Retrieved March 18, 2025, from https://criticallegalthinking.com/2016/05/27/jacques-derrida-deconstruction/

Vasanathan. (2023, October 13). Unveiling conformity and differentiation through Derrida's "différance". Shodhgyan, 1(1). Retrieved April 26, 2025, from https://shodhgyan.org/index.php/shodhgyan-nu/article/view/6

Wikipedia Contributors. (2019, May 14). Deconstruction. Wikipedia. Retrieved April 20, 2025, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deconstruction

Downloads

Published

2026-01-07

Issue

Section

Articles