The Politics Of Sally Rooney

Sally Rooney’s fourth and most recent novel Intermezzo establishes her further as a thought-provoking, insightful and progressive author. With its exploration of masculinity, relationships and grief, the novel puts into perspective what it is that makes us human; the sentiments and events that mould us into the people we are and that shape our dynamics with the closest people in our lives. However, despite these central ideas, Intermezzo has been widely received as Rooney’s least favourable novel. This raises the question: what is it we enjoy reading and why? Is society not ready to read such politically charged topics? Or, are readers nowadays more interested in the romanticisation of life rather than the brutal, harsh and realistic events that occur in everyday life, events we often fail to give enough attention to?

It is clear Rooney’s writing style is unique. Its absence of quotation marks has become her literary signature, defining her prose as recognisable yet complex. However, what makes her such a provocative and engaging author are the challenging notions she explores, the life-like characters she builds and the reactions she generates. These strong reactions have been made evident. Recently, it has been reported that the best-selling Irish author’s works may be banned from publication in Britain after demonstrating her support for Palestine Action. This malinformed judgement will leave a massive gap within literature; an area that is already lacking in popularity amongst young people. Preventing Rooney’s current and future works from being published threatens the power and freedom of speech people supposedly possess. If one’s opinions do not align with the people in political power, then why must it be suppressed, or rather, completely obliterated from existence? Rooney’s social politics are an example of her willingness to advocate and desire true and progressive change in the world, and it is these morals and values that are reflected in her prose. Her prose reflects the importance of contemporary politics, which are discussed in each and every one of her narratives, including, and not limited to class divides, incel culture, relationships and grief.

Rooney’s entire discography of literature is riddled with her politics, and her latest novel Intermezzo is undeniably one that illustrates this. The narrative’s discourse reflects the real life discourse within contemporary society, especially in regard to conversations about masculinity. In today’s political climate, there has been a surge in right-wing ideals surrounding masculinity. This spectrum of conservative males advocate for the return of hyper-masculine alpha men; men who see women as nothing more than sexual objects and breeding machines. These male tropes are reflected in Rooney’s Intermezzo, in which one of the protagonists, Peter Koubek, is in a relationship with two women at the same time but for different purposes. He receives academic satisfaction from Sylvia (his ex-long-term-partner) and sexual satisfaction from Naomi (his current ‘fling’, 10 years his junior.) Peter is unable to decide which of these women it is he wants to commit to, as he claims he is in love with them both. He fails to offer either of these women any assurances of his feelings and what it is he wants from them in a relationship as he is only concerned about himself. 

Despite Peter’s tricky romantic situations, he still (hypocritically) criticizes his younger brother Ivan on his relationship with an older woman, Margaret. Speaking of Margaret, he states: ‘Perhaps you should ascertain where she stands on the issue of family planning though, because at this stage the old clock might be ticking.’ (p. 222) The misogyny of this statement is astounding, and opposes the feminism he claims to uphold in his professional and personal life. Likewise, Ivan is also hinted at as formerly being a part of incel culture. He states how he didn’t see why he would have to offer a pregnant woman a seat on public transport and how he believed that feminists wanted to be superior to men. It isn’t until his relationship with Margaret that he became more understanding of female oppression, making his morals superficial. Both of the brother’s behaviour towards women is performative; a performativity that reflects many of the men in our current society. Rooney uses these topics of relationships and misogyny to mirror the very real opinions men have of women nowadays. Perhaps young men reading Rooney would allow for more conversations surrounding contemporary politics, encouraging inner reflection.

Rooney is, without a doubt, extremely apt at writing from the male perspective. Her portrayals are brutal, honest and insightful – especially in terms of her representation of male emotion. Throughout the novel, Peter’s mental health worsens; his suicidal desires increase as his relationships break down and his grief spirals. Rooney’s graphic depiction of poor mental health reflects the societal discourse of the importance of raising awareness for men’s mental health, yet, this matter rarely produces any meaningful change in society. Reading Rooney’s books would generate more of these important conversations as she presents a realistic portrayal of what men can experience. Without these representations, men may not feel seen or understood, and men’s mental health may have a massive stigma attached to it for the foreseeable future if no political action is made. 

Linking to men’s emotions, Rooney explores how class divides can trigger an emotional response within men, with the idea of not fitting in. Peter expresses how despite his successes he still feels like an imposter compared to his peers due to his foreign lineage and working-class background. This is a feeling that plays on Peter’s mind and motivates him to excessively work, contributing to his poor mental health. Not only does Rooney show the insecurities men can face, but she also highlights the deep rooted social class divides within society. Rooney critiques the political institutions that instill and reproduce these divides; a matter that is necessary to discuss yet impossible to improve if a conversation is not generated. 

Silencing Sally Rooney will not silence the significance of the topics she discusses, the conversations they generate and the people they inform. If her novels are banned, how can we claim we live in a society, a country, a world, where free speech and thought is encouraged? Perhaps this novel has been so coldly received because of Rooney’s blatant and bold literary and political discourse, and how she has publicly stated her political stance regarding topics that should not be political in a day and age where free speech and human rights should be inherent. Rooney’s pure ambition, intelligence and depth are traits that have left a profound mark on readers, and will continue to encourage critical and empathetic thought against a world of political tyranny. Literature has the power to do this; Sally Rooney is brave enough to do this, and may unfortunately reap the unjust consequences for her literary creativity and political awareness.

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