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If you watched Normal People and sat glued to the screen thinking, "Wait. What just happened?! " — then you're not alone! The conclusion puzzled a lot of people, who were muttering "Is that it? " or "Why would they do that? " Well, the plain fact is: the ending wasn't supposed to be all wrapped up happy-ever-after for you.
It was about demonstrating how actual relationships function — how love can transform lives without necessarily being lifelong! Connell and Marianne's choice wasn't about falling apart. It was about growing up and moving on, even if it meant stepping into different futures.
The beauty (and infuriation!) of Normal People is that it does not spoon-feed viewers or readers. Rather, it embodies the messy, complicated, frequently bittersweet quality of love and human transformation.
Why Connell and Marianne didn’t end up together in Normal People
The lesson was that despite Connell and Marianne's love for each other being so great, sometimes real love means giving the other up, not because their relationship is insufficient, but precisely because it's strong enough to endure distance, change, and time.
It’s not a tragedy — it’s just life, in its rawest, most honest form. Connell and Marianne don’t end up “together” in Normal People, not because of anger, betrayal, or fading love, but because of growth. When Connell gets accepted into a prestigious creative writing program in New York, Marianne encourages him to go, even though it means leaving her behind. Their decision is a quiet, bittersweet acknowledgment that sometimes love means letting go.
Both realize that staying in their small Irish town or clinging to the relationship out of fear would only hold them back. The bittersweet part? They genuinely love each other but choose ambition, independence, and self-discovery over staying comfortable.
This scene captures something that many of us go through in life — that painful decision between love and individual opportunity. Connell and Marianne demonstrate that you don't always have to physically remain with the person you love. Sometimes, it's more loving to give each other space to grow, even if it hurts.
What the novel and series both highlight
Both the novel by Sally Rooney and the television version of Normal People highlight one fundamental theme: emotional intimacy is nuanced. This is not a romance novel or series in the classical sense, complete with a great big romantic payoff. Normal People is about connection, miscommunication, healing, and vulnerability. It's not a "happily ever after" scenario. It's about having the strength of being deeply and truly known and understood by another, even if that connection is not eternal in the form we are used to.
The characters help each other overcome their deepest fears and unknowns. Marianne discovers how to make herself feel loved and worthy; Connell discovers how to know and pursue his heart's desire. Their relationship changes them, whether they end up together or not, making it less about the destination and more about the journey.
Was there an ulterior motive to the ending of Normal People?
Certainly. The last shots of Normal People are not about loss — they're about evolution. When Marianne tells Connell to grab the chance in New York, she's not giving up on herself; she's honoring his potential. Connell, conversely, is not leaving her behind; he's believing in the power of their connection.
It's about recognizing that sometimes the ones we love most assist us in leaving them — and that's not weakness or failure. It's maturity. Their farewell (if you can even refer to it as that) is full of hope, gentleness, and the understanding that their love story doesn't have to conform to anyone else's definition to be valid.
Did Connell and Marianne still love each other?
Yes — absolutely. One of the most obvious things about Normal People is that the emotional bond between Marianne and Connell goes deep. Love, as shown here, is not confined to presence, marriage, or enduringness. It happens in support, trust, vulnerability, and growth.
Even as they prepare to move in different directions, there’s no dramatic breakup, no resentment, and no anger. Their parting is tender, honest, and full of affection. Their love doesn’t end just because their circumstances change — it simply takes a new, undefined form. This portrayal challenges the idea that relationships must always fit into clear-cut categories to be “successful.”
Why the ending feels “unresolved.”
The unsettled feeling you are left with after reading Normal People is deliberate. Real life never provides us with tidy, sanitized conclusions, and Sally Rooney is a master at capturing that. Connell and Marianne's narrative is not wrapped up in a neat little bow because that is not the way actual emotional connections play out.
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Some connections are not designed to culminate in some big gesture or an eternal vow; they exist in smaller, more lasting terms. The conclusion is an invitation to embrace uncertainty — to realize that even the deepest love can change, dissolve, or morph without diminishing its importance.
Instead of delivering fantasy, Normal People delivers reality: complicated, poignant, and endlessly familiar. And perhaps, perhaps that's what makes it linger with so many of us long after the credits roll.
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