Wakely tells Elizabeth he’s not sure “normal” exists. “Does science recognize normal?”, he asks. “How would you define normal?” (p. 353). What do you think? Is there such a thing as “normal”?
I agree with Wakely. If normal exists, it is just that which fits within acceptable limits. As to who decides what is acceptable, that has always stumped me.
I agree with Wakely also. I think “normal” can be a relative term which depends on a variety of things like time, family and culture. Within some groups of people, there seems to be an agreed upon “normal” about different things. I remember as a girl, reading etiquette books to learn about that “normal” because I believed there were absolutes. But when my family moved from one city to another, I found there were some different “normal” expectations in my new school. As I have aged, I have sometimes been surprised to realize that even after knowing someone else for many years, my “normal” is not always the same as theirs for particular situations.
I agree with Shirl and Dee. Normal can mean something different to every person. Perhaps ‘common’ or ‘usual’ or ‘average’ are better terms.
Elizabeth and Wavely’s conversation about “normal” reminded me of an article I read recently. Jonathan Mooney, in a very entertaining way, describes where the idea of “normal” comes from. The word was first used in a mathematical context in carpentry – according to rule, meaning according to the measurement. Then some men (of course it was men) from the anatomy and physiology areas began to use the term “normal state” to describe functions and systems inside the body – bodies and organs that functioned “perfectly” or “ideally.” “Normal” became associated with “healthy” or “sound.” Mooney says “normal” is a fluid sort of thing, contingent or history, on power, and on flawed human beings. In Elizabeth’s world, “normal” describes behavior that conforms to widely accepted social standards. The society in which she lives has decided what is appropriate and has made a judgment of what is right. Conformity is the word that comes to mind, but Elizabeth doesn’t conform to any pattern of “normalcy” that her society accepts. Why, then, would she wonder about being “normal?”