Previous
Lukas
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:
).
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:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire Normal People LitChart as a printable PDF.
Niall Character Timeline in Normal People
The timeline below shows where the character Niall appears in Normal People. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
7. Three Months Later (November 2011)
...time alone these days. He lives in a small apartment off campus with his roommate Niall. He gets along with Niall, but he doesn’t know many other people. Back in Carricklea,...
(full context)
11. Six Weeks Later (September 2012)
...city. He knew he wouldn’t be able to pay for the room he shared with Niall and that he’d have to move out, but he figured it wouldn’t be a big...
(full context)
...later, he went to her place and quickly said he had to move out of Niall’s apartment. Her face went expressionless, and then she said, “You’ll be going home, then.” Surprised,...
(full context)
13. Six Months Later (July 2013)
Connell has been spending the summer traveling in Europe with Niall and a friend named Elaine. Helen, his girlfriend, is studying in Chicago for the summer—he...
(full context)
...family’s vacation home in Trieste, Italy. Jamie and Peggy are there too, and soon Connell, Niall, and Elaine will join them.
(full context)
When Connell, Niall, and Elaine arrive at the house in Trieste, Marianne greets them. She’s in a beautiful...
(full context)
...one point, Jamie—who has been criticizing Marianne all night—makes a racist comment about Asian tourists. Niall calls him out, but Jamie doesn’t show any remorse. To avoid engaging in the conversation,...
(full context)
15. Three Months Later (March 2014)
...counselor, he reflects on the fact that Marianne is really the only person (other than Niall) with whom he feels connected at Trinity. Weirdly enough, he didn’t feel like he had...
(full context)
