Jamie Character Analysis in Normal People

Jamie is a wealthy, entitled student at Trinity College, one of the boyfriends Marianne dates when she’s not with Connell. Even though he’s not all that intelligent, Jamie acts very condescendingly toward most people. He certainly doesn’t like Connell, who intimidates him both because of his physical stature and because of his history with Marianne. Connell, in turn, dislikes Jamie, especially when he finds out that Jamie likes to “beat up” Marianne during sex. Marianne isn’t even sure she likes this kind of sexual behavior, though she was the one who suggested they try it in the first place—largely, she suspects, because she knows she doesn’t respect Jamie and feels guilty about that, so she wants to prove her willingness to sacrifice her own desires in order to prioritize his. While on vacation in Italy, Marianne and Jamie have a fight that leads to their breakup, and in the ensuing months, Jamie spreads nasty rumors about her and turns most of their friend group against her.

Jamie Character Timeline in Normal People

The timeline below shows where the character Jamie appears in Normal People. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

Miscommunication and Assumptions Theme Icon

Money, Class, and Entitlement Theme Icon

In the car, Connell and Marianne talk about Jamie, the new guy Marianne has been seeing. When Marianne asks if Connell is seeing anyone,... (full context)

Love, Inexperience, and Emotional Intensity Theme Icon

Identity, Insecurity, and Social Status Theme Icon

...only started crying once he’d left her apartment. A few weeks later, Marianne started dating Jamie, a rich kid whose father was involved in creating the financial crisis in Ireland. Connell... (full context)

Now it’s September, and Connell and Marianne are friends again, though she’s still dating Jamie. They meet for coffee in Dublin, and Marianne says she hopes that Jamie and Connell... (full context)

As they have coffee, Marianne tells Connell that Jamie is a “sadist.” He likes to get rough with her during sex. Connell feels overwhelmed... (full context)

Connell hates hearing that Jamie beats Marianne up during sex. She explains that sometimes Jamie hits her with a belt... (full context)

Jamie pipes up and says that one of his professors wanted him to take the scholarship... (full context)

...take a taxi to her apartment and says she’ll pay the fare when he arrives. Jamie watches her as she talks on the phone, even when she motions for everyone to... (full context)

...He’s very drunk—so drunk that he starts flirting with her, but she tells him that Jamie is there. Inside, her friends are surprised to see Connell’s wounds. After he tells them... (full context)

...keep herself from crying, angrily asking why Connell is trying to get her to dump Jamie if he’s not even single in the first place. He says he just wants her... (full context)

...emails so much. Marianne is currently staying in her family’s vacation home in Trieste, Italy. Jamie and Peggy are there too, and soon Connell, Niall, and Elaine will join them. (full context)

...outside. They drink wine and talk about their plans to visit Venice. At one point, Jamie—who has been criticizing Marianne all night—makes a racist comment about Asian tourists. Niall calls him... (full context)

...Everyone at the table stops talking, and Connell gets up. When he reaches Marianne and Jamie, neither of them acknowledges him. Instead, Marianne asks Jamie to put down the champagne glass... (full context)

That night, Marianne sleeps in Connell’s bed so she can distance herself from Jamie. Lying there with her, Connell realizes he could have sex with her and thinks about... (full context)

...spends her time writing emails to Joanna and video-chatting Connell. After she broke up with Jamie over the summer, most of her friend group took his side—largely because he told them... (full context)

...camera, she thinks about the falling out she had with Peggy after her breakup with Jamie. Peggy claimed she was Marianne’s best friend, but she ended up siding with Jamie. Joanna... (full context)