Ordinary People Film Analysis

Life is so beautiful that death has fallen in love with it, a jealous, possessive love that grabs at what it can. Death and life mix in the world to create a very unique atmosphere. Humans struggle to cope with the overbearing forces. Emotion takes control and each individual approaches life and death from a different angle. The Academy Award winning film, Ordinary People, focuses on the Jarrett family, who has suffered the tragic loss of their son Buck in a boating accident. Each member of the family attempts to deal with the pain individually. Calvin Jarrett, the father, griefs and moves forward in hopes of supporting and bringing his family back together. Beth Jarrett, the mother, buries the emotion deep within and refuses to feel. Conrad …show more content…
When placed into a situation with confrontation and crucial conversations, Beth Jarrett evades the scene as quick as possible. Every ounce of emotion is buried deep within her and she has mastered the ability to change topics. She is involved in a multitude of incidents of silence and violence. When caught sitting in Buck’s room by Conrad, Beth immediately makes small talk about swimming and geometry to avoid confrontation. Around Christmas time, Beth obviously does not want to take a picture with Conrad, and acts like nothing happens when Conrad shouts in anger. Shortly after in the kitchen, Beth’s mother asks about her relationship with Conrad. Undoubtedly, Beth avoids the question by talking about a broken plate. In all of these situations, Beth refuses dialogue, the free flow of meaning between two or more people. Every situation lacks emotional safety and a pool of shared meaning. To handle these situations properly, Beth should refuse silence and violence instead of dialogue, and maintain focus while keeping the door of dialogue open. Beth also exhibits violence. She gets angry at Calvin for telling people Conrad is seeing a doctor. She gets defensive and changes the topic when Conrad suggests getting a dog. She refuses to show any emotion towards Conrad. Almost everything Beth does is detrimental to a healthy relationship. Beth needs to be able to observe, make an assumption, feel, and act. She needs to be open to emotional connection and mutual purpose. Finally, Beth makes a final quote that seals her apathetic persona, “I don’t know what anyone wants from me anymore.” Beth sees herself as a helpless victim when in truth, she is the