Normal People

by

Sally Rooney

Niall Character Analysis

Niall is Connell’s college roommate. Connell likes Niall quite a bit and rooms with him for more than just his first year. Unlike many of the people around Connell, Niall isn’t stuck-up or entitled but rather down to earth and kind. When Connell goes through a severe depressive state, Niall worries about him and suggests that he seek help through the college’s mental health services.

Niall Quotes in Normal People

The Normal People quotes below are all either spoken by Niall or refer to Niall. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Love, Inexperience, and Emotional Intensity Theme Icon
).
11. Six Weeks Later (September 2012) Quotes

He could just tell her about the situation and ask if he could stay in her place until September. He knew she would say yes. He thought she would say yes, it was hard to imagine her not saying yes. But he found himself putting off the conversation, putting off Niall’s enquiries about it, planning to bring it up with her and then at the last minute failing to. It just felt too much like asking her for money. He and Marianne never talked about money. They had never talked, for example, about the fact that her mother paid his mother money to scrub their floors and hang their laundry, or about the fact that this money circulated indirectly to Connell, who spent it, as often as not, on Marianne. He hated having to think about things like that. He knew Marianne never thought that way. She bought him things all the time, dinner, theatre tickets, things she would pay for and then instantly, permanently, forget about.

Related Characters: Marianne, Connell, Lorraine (Connell’s Mother), Denise (Marianne’s Mother), Niall
Page Number: 127
Explanation and Analysis:
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Niall Quotes in Normal People

The Normal People quotes below are all either spoken by Niall or refer to Niall. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Love, Inexperience, and Emotional Intensity Theme Icon
).
11. Six Weeks Later (September 2012) Quotes

He could just tell her about the situation and ask if he could stay in her place until September. He knew she would say yes. He thought she would say yes, it was hard to imagine her not saying yes. But he found himself putting off the conversation, putting off Niall’s enquiries about it, planning to bring it up with her and then at the last minute failing to. It just felt too much like asking her for money. He and Marianne never talked about money. They had never talked, for example, about the fact that her mother paid his mother money to scrub their floors and hang their laundry, or about the fact that this money circulated indirectly to Connell, who spent it, as often as not, on Marianne. He hated having to think about things like that. He knew Marianne never thought that way. She bought him things all the time, dinner, theatre tickets, things she would pay for and then instantly, permanently, forget about.

Related Characters: Marianne, Connell, Lorraine (Connell’s Mother), Denise (Marianne’s Mother), Niall
Page Number: 127
Explanation and Analysis: