Asst. Prof. Maali Abdulhussein Mehdi

Department of English

Normalization in literature

Normalization refers to the process of presenting behaviors, beliefs, ideas in a way that they get  accepted  as normal and natural  within the narrative. Normalization in literature can be used to elusively impact reader’s perceptions or to reflect societal attitudes and ideologies. It also emphasizes that how certain ideas, beliefs or norms become mainstream or are taken for granted.

 Authors may normalize certain ideologies in their work, making them seem natural or unquestionable. This of course could be achieved by depicting characters who adhere to these beliefs without any question by them about the consequences of abandoning these ideas.

The examples are many in literature that suggest, if we do not firmly assert, that most writers attempt to establish their personal views as the natural standard that should serve as a measure for sound thinking. violence, war, or oppression  are sometimes depicted as a normal or inevitable part of society,  without providing direct critique, making it seem natural to the characters or the audience.

 In Kurt Vonnegut’s “Slaughterhouse-Five”, the experience of war and its devastating effects are presented as part of the inevitable human condition, as the protagonist, Billy Pilgrim, time-travels through various moments of violence without ever truly questioning the senselessness of it. Romantic relationships, friendships, or familial bonds, can be normalized in literature to reflect cultural norms. For example in Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights, the intense and toxic obsessive relationships are often normalized, even though the characters’ behavior is destructive. Whether normalization is good or bad depends on what is being normalized and in what context.