The Illusion of Normalcy

The Convenience Store Woman critiques society’s obsession with normality by demonstrating how empty and contrived the notion of acting 'normally' really is.

Firstly, the author demonstrates how Keiko defies people’s expectations of how a normal child should act from a very young age. She does not catch on to social cues like other children do, she does not feel emotion the same way that others do, and she does not act in the same natural way that others do. When she suggests they grill a dead pet bird for dinner, nearly kills a noisy child, and yanks down her teacher’s underwear in front of the class, she continuously provokes frustration that she is not a normal child. Her actions astound her family, teachers, and even therapists, and nobody understands why she is the way that she is.

Despite attempts to...