Why Be Happy When You Could

Be Normal?

By Jeanette Winterson

Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal? Is a memoir by J.Winterson the writer tells about her life with no chronological order

Constance Winterson

the book is dedicated to her three mothers: Ruth Rendell

Ann S.

Constance Winterson is her foster motherRuth Rendell is her ‘writer and literary’ motherAnn S. is her biological mother

The structure of the novel is composed with the title: what expectation is created? What does ‘be normal’ mean and what does ‘be happy’ mean? J. Winterson wants to pave the way of what she is going to tell us.

The memoire is divided into 15 chapters and a final coda

SETTING

MANCHESTER

Was the city where J.Winterson was born in 1959. Manchester was the world’s first industrial city; it was radical – Marx and Angels were her. It was repressive – the Perterloo Massacres and the Corn Laws. It was Utilitarian and Utopian – its Quakerism, feminism, anty-slavery movement, socialism, comunism

ACCRINGTON

Was the city where J.Winterson grew up and spent her childhood with her foster parents.

‘I LIVED ON A LONG stretchy street with a town at the bottom and a hill at the top’ from Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal

CHARACTERS

MAIN CHARACTERS

Jeanette Winterson: protagonist and novelist

Mrs Winterson: Jeanette’ s adoptive mother

Mr Winterson: Jeanette’s adoptive father

OTHER CHARACTERS

Helen: Jeanette’s first girlfriend

Susie Orbach: Jeanette’s girlfriend

Ruth Rendell: ‘writer and literary mother’

Ann S: biological mother

Gary: brother

STRUCTURE AND ANALYSIS

1° CHAPTER: THE WRONG CRIB

The first chapter is an introductory chapter where the novelist narrates about her difficulties in being an adoptive child and the difficulty in taking part of a new family: that’s why she felt in a wrong crib

2° CHAPTER: MY ADVICE TO ANYBODY IS: GET BORN

The second chapter describes the town where the writer was born. It shows Manchester during the Industrial Revolution

STRUCTURE AND ANALYSIS

3° CHAPTER: IN THE BEGINNING WAS THE WORD

The third chapter tells about the life in Jeanette’s family sphere where the Bible had an important role because it was a religious family

4° CHAPTER: THE TROUBLE WITH A BOOK

The fourth chapter underlines the important role of the books in Jeanette’s life and the conservatory and austerity believe about life of her adoptive mother

STRUCTURE AND ANALYSIS

5° CHAPTER: AT HOME

The fifth chapter explains how reading books makes the novelist feel as if she was at home

6° CHAPTER: CHURCH

The sixth chapter tells about the relationship between Jeanette and the Church. It shows also the first omosexual love for a girl named Helen

STRUCTURE AND ANALYSIS

7° CHAPTER: ACCRINGTON

The seventh chapter tells about the town where Jeanette spent her childhood

8° CHAPTER: THE APOCALYPSE

The Apocalypse is a part of the Bible and it is associated to Mrs Winterson. In this chapter Jeanette discovers her omosexuality and Mrs Winsterson’s disapproval is shown

STRUCTURE AND ANALYSIS

9° CHAPTER: ENGLISH LITERATURE A-Z

The nineth chapter focuses the reader’s attention on Jeanette’s attitude in reading all the English Literature in order to excape from the real life and to take refuge in the literature world

10° CHAPTER: THIS IS THE ROAD

The tenth chapter shows the women’s conditions during the Industrial Revolution and Jeanette’s attitude to make the society homophobicless

STRUCTURE AND ANALYSIS

11° CHAPTER: ART AND LIES INTERMISSION

The eleventh chapter tells about Jeanette’s life during her university and her point of view about literature

12° CHAPTER: THE NIGHT SEA VOYAGE

The title of the chapter reminds of a dark atmosphere night

The Sea Voyage Jeanette’s walk of life

STRUCTURE AND ANALYSIS

13° CHAPTER: THIS APPOINTMENT TAKES PLACE

IN THE PAST

The thirteenth chapter tells about Jeanette’s memories regarding her parents and the death of her father

14° CHAPTER: STRANGE MEETING

The fourteenth chapter describes Jeanette’s meeting with her biological mother and her emotions and feelings are shown

STRUCTURE AND ANALYSIS

15° CHAPTER: THE WOND

The title of the last chapter refers to the pains linked to the neglet and to the adoption that Jeanette had suffered during her life

CODA

Coda is a brief conclusion of the memoir where Jeanette explains how the book was born and how the relationship with her biological mother followed