Illusions In Judith Guest's Ordinary People

“‘Forget how it looks. How does it feel (79)?’” This question, posed to Conrad by Dr. Berger, in Ordinary People, by Judith Guest, accentuates one of Guest’s themes that creating illusions is damaging in times of loss. Ordinary People, focuses on the Jarrett family, Conrad and his parents, Beth and Calvin, in the aftermath of the accidental death of Conrad’s older brother, Buck, and Conrad’s subsequent suicide attempt. Rather than confronting the pain and loss, the family, led by Beth’s desire to appear ordinary, perfect, and healed, throughout the book, spends most of their time trying to mask their pain to each other and the outside world. Through her characters, Judith Guest reveals the dangers of creating illusions after loss. Throughout the book, Guest demonstrates that when people concern themselves with creating the illusion that they are ordinary, it prevents them from focusing on healing. Guest projects this point through Berger, when he said, “‘Maybe you gotta feel lousy sometime, in order to feel better (100).” This highlights Berger’s belief that, in order to heal, you must at times become angry and upset. Shortly after Buck’s death, the Jarret’s went to Florida in an attempt to create the illusion that nothing has changed. Cal now sees that that was a mistake, and he realized that they were not available to Conrad to talk to because they were busy “Every goddamned minute (28).” This expands on the idea that maybe appearing ordinary wasn’t as important in the moment, and focusing on their teenage son, who had just lost a sibling, should have taken …show more content…
The dangers of these illusions can come in many forms including preventing recovery, causing remorse, and creating unattainable goals. Guest proves, in Ordinary People, that no family is normal, ordinary, or perfect, and that the Jarrets’ illusions are useless and are hurting