Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal by Jeanette Winterson

Chapter 1

Function of the chapter:  the function of the first chapter is to introduce the reader to what he/she is going to read. In particular, the text is a novel which develops throughout such themes as the pursuing of happiness, the relationship Jeanette- adoptive mother Mrs Winterson and the discovery of her lesbianism.

Content of the chapter:  in the first chapter the writer begins with a reference to her previous novel, Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit, which was published in 1985, and immediately after the reader comes into touch with the writer's adoptive mother, Mrs Winterson, who will described through the novel with humour. Indeed she always keep a revolver in the duster drawer and had two sets of false teeth.

The two women are talking at the telephone, because Mrs Winterson wants to know why Oranges reminds very closely of her adoptive daughter's life and so Jeanette will answer her. What's more, the writer gives the reader some piece of information about her teenage behavior and feelings, such as her strong desire to leave her home as soon as possible.

Characters that make their appearance in the chapter:  the characters that the reader meets are the writer, Jeanette Winterson, and her adoptive mother, Constance Winterson, but there are also references to Jeanette's adoptive father and grandfather.

Narrative techniques adopted by the writer:   as the reader can notice, the text is a memoir, so it is written by a writer who takes the role of a  first person narrator, who will always provide the reader with personal consideration about her most important moments of her life.

Chapter 2

Function of the chapter:  the second chapter aims to show the reader the place Jeanette was born, that is Manchester, the first industrialized city in the world, and to describe the jobs of her biological and adoptive parents. What's more, the writer states her will not to take part in the working class of that city, probably because of its terrible conditions of working and living.

Content of the chapter:  right from the beginning of the second chapter the narrator describes her birth place, that is Manchester, the world's first industrialized city and the first in producing cotton ("Cottonopolis"). A town which seriously suffered from the influence of the new economic system called "capitalism", which increased the difference between rich and poor people. After that, the writer talks about the jobs of her biological mother and father and the lifestyles and behaviours of her adoptive family.

Characters that make their appearance in the chapter:   in the second chapter the main characters are the writer(as usual), her biological and adoptive parents, and writers that lived in Manchester, such as Charles Dickens and Karl Marx.

Narrative techniques adopted by the writer:   as in the whole  book, the narrator is a first narrator person, so in each page of the novel she will convey to the reader her personal feeling lived in a particular situation. Indeed the novel is a memoir, which has the function the emphasize the writer's own feelings and emotions.

Historical Events quoted in the two chapters:

- The Peterloo Massacre:  The Peterloo Massacre (or Battle of Peterloo) occurred at St Peter's Field, Manchester, England, on 16 August 1819, when cavalry charged into a crowd of 60,000-80,000 that had gathered to demand the reform of parliamentary representation.

- Corn Laws: The Corn Laws were trade laws designed to protect cereal producers in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland against competition from less expensive foreign imports between 1815 and 1846.