Ordinary People, by Judith Guest, is a well written novel, well suited for high school students to read in the public school classroom because of its strong focus on mental illness, including depression, and the aftermath of death, in the lives of both teens and adults. Written in 1976, the text was banned in many public settings due to language, casual, but non-explicit, sex scenes, and the destigmatized discussion of mental illness.
The main themes of Ordinary People include ways in which people cope with loss and the successive healing process, and the role and importance of communication to maintain healthy and dynamic relationships.
“Good manners have nothing to do with communication (Ordinary People),” if people only say what they believe …show more content…
. . ‘erotic trash’ (Readers’ Review),” due to a scene where Conrad’s parents have sex, even though the act is described in metaphor, and is a single sentence long, “She leads, . . . moving swiftly down the dark river, everything floating, melting, perfect, and complete (Ordinary People).” Two chapters later, Conrad mentions masturbation as “his speciality,” and his go-to method for calming down enough for sleep to take over. Near the end of the novel, Conrad has an intimate experience with his girlfriend Jeannie, losing his virginity to her, then beginning to open up about his attempted suicide, less than a year prior, though he still claims, “there aren’t any answers,” when asked why he feels what he does. These scenes depict the way a lack of communication is causing the Jarretts’ relationship to crumble, and shows how good communication has lead to the development of a healthy relationship between Conrad and Jeannie; however, these three instances all also anger critics of the novel due to the casual depiction of sex. They believe reading about these “taboo” relationships will inspire teens to pursue their own sexual endeavors, when the reality stands that sex is already a part of pop culture, already on teenagers’ radar. Including theses scenes in her novel made Ordinary People more accessible and relatable to the average teen in public school.
Ordinary People tackles a universal topic: loss. It is something we can all relate to, because despite …show more content…
Mental illness was most often treated as a secret matter, off-limits to outsiders, something to be ashamed of (Borinstein). Guest’s openness on a previously private problem appalled many readers who were, until then, unaccustomed to even acknowledging the existence of mental health. This provocation, however, was and continues to be a desperately needed wake up call for many audience members that mental health, especially depression, is a real issue that needs to be
The main themes of Ordinary People include ways in which people cope with loss and the successive healing process, and the role and importance of communication to maintain healthy and dynamic relationships.
“Good manners have nothing to do with communication (Ordinary People),” if people only say what they believe …show more content…
. . ‘erotic trash’ (Readers’ Review),” due to a scene where Conrad’s parents have sex, even though the act is described in metaphor, and is a single sentence long, “She leads, . . . moving swiftly down the dark river, everything floating, melting, perfect, and complete (Ordinary People).” Two chapters later, Conrad mentions masturbation as “his speciality,” and his go-to method for calming down enough for sleep to take over. Near the end of the novel, Conrad has an intimate experience with his girlfriend Jeannie, losing his virginity to her, then beginning to open up about his attempted suicide, less than a year prior, though he still claims, “there aren’t any answers,” when asked why he feels what he does. These scenes depict the way a lack of communication is causing the Jarretts’ relationship to crumble, and shows how good communication has lead to the development of a healthy relationship between Conrad and Jeannie; however, these three instances all also anger critics of the novel due to the casual depiction of sex. They believe reading about these “taboo” relationships will inspire teens to pursue their own sexual endeavors, when the reality stands that sex is already a part of pop culture, already on teenagers’ radar. Including theses scenes in her novel made Ordinary People more accessible and relatable to the average teen in public school.
Ordinary People tackles a universal topic: loss. It is something we can all relate to, because despite …show more content…
Mental illness was most often treated as a secret matter, off-limits to outsiders, something to be ashamed of (Borinstein). Guest’s openness on a previously private problem appalled many readers who were, until then, unaccustomed to even acknowledging the existence of mental health. This provocation, however, was and continues to be a desperately needed wake up call for many audience members that mental health, especially depression, is a real issue that needs to be