by Jeanette Winterson

Jeanette Winterson's Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal? A memoir Dedicated to 3 mothers Written following emotional memories, not necessarily in a chronological order Constance Winterson Adoptive Mother Ruth Rendell Literary Mother Ann S. Biological Mother

Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal? THE TITLE To be Happy A temporary sensation of well being. A condition to pursue. To be Normal To be in the norm. To follow the "flock".

Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal? STRUCTURE The text is organized into 17 chapters Each chapter has its own internal organization and develops its own topic. It is connected to the others only by the thread of Jeanette's personal experience. An intermission A coda 15 regular chapters

Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal? C.1 – The Wrong Crib The writer describe his mother telling her she had chosen the wrong child (during adoption) to make the reader understand that she felt out of place since early chilhood. C.2 – My Advice To Anybody Is: Get Born Right from the title you can realize that the goal of this chapter is to prompt the reader to born spiritually and intellectually. This implies you are not born yet. C.3 – In The Beginning Was The Word J.Winterson uses her experience of the reading of the Bible in his home to underline the importance of the WORD, which is the basis of writing (the basis of her life). Word and culture give power.

Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal? C.4 – The Trouble With A Book... This chapter is about growing. J. Winterson shows how books could be helpful to grow up. Books helped her in growing up because they were her only way out from his confinement. C.5 – At Home The title itself helps the reader to understand that this chapter deal with the importance of having a HOME not a house. The writer found a loving home in books. C.6 – Church J. Winterson talks about the biggest mass rally of the world: faith celebrations. How communities of faithful can change a person from an individual to "a member of the flock".

Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal? C.7 – Accrington Despite bigotry, 60's and 70's were years of community and wormth in those few events that attracted the mass. Not like today, when you are more open-minded, but individuality prevails. C.8 – The Apocalypse Adolescence changes radically the way you see things. So also applies to relationships with parents and lovers. The first collapses and the other grows. C.9 – English Literature A-Z In this chapter Jeanette underlines how literature can make you richer inside and how it has its own life. You can just like a little part of it and also completely dislike another one, but it will change your life.

Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal? C.10 – This Is The Road J. Winterson takes her own experience of the change of women's condition from his childhood to today to say that humanity understand errors only when it crashes against them. C.12 – The Night Sea Voyage This chapter is abaout madness, how you become mad and how you come to terms with your madness. C.11 – Art And Lies People do not change, despite they want to make sure you think so. So is her mother, so is Oxford itself: a school that claims to be progressive, but it's radical in the foundations.

Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal? C.13 – This Appointment Takes Place In The Past Right from the title you can understand that this chapter is about a contrariness. The language used isn't the one that should be used for the appointment the writer talks about. Like law is not able to approciate certain issues with the language that should be utilized. C.14 – Strange Meeting When you grow up and reach maturity you get to a point in which you regress to childhood and all hidden fears are revailed again. C.15 – The Wound Wounds let scars inside you and they always can be a new starting point. You are your wounds and your wounds describe you. Only starting from them you understand that you have to change something in your life.

Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal? The INTERMISSION and the CODA It makes the reader think. What was that she needed to hide after all she told us of ridiculous, shameful and panicful of her life? Why to omit even 25 years of her life? Even if you go back into the wounds, you can realize that you're not able to heal them anymore. This isn't your fault not even their faults. Than, who is to blame?