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Lorraine, Connell’s mother and Normal People’s template for good parenting, provides a contrasting view of Marianne, which offsets the overwhelmingly negative opinions about her and challenges Connell’s understanding of their respective social positions. While Marianne never directly repulses Connell, he internalizes the repulsion his peers feel for her and lets it affect how he treats her. By contrast, Lorraine never dislikes Marianne in the first place and impresses that upon Connell. Lorraine is never anything but kind and positive about Marianne’s character, and she takes Connell to task for his mistreatment of her in high school. Over the years, Lorraine continues to stand up for Marianne, such as when Connell rationalizes his resentment of her relationship with Jamie by implying she may be with him simply because of his socioeconomic status. Later, when Lorraine takes Marianne in after her final falling out with her family, she can provide an unconditionally positive environment for her, because she has never been taken in by the widespread negativity surrounding Marianne’s reputation. This could be because Lorraine, a working-class single mother who gave birth to Connell as a teenager, has herself suffered the effects of nasty rumors and undeserved vitriol and understands them to be an inaccurate reflection of reality.
