Ordinary People: The Importance of Communication
Judith Guest displays many important life lessons in her novel Ordinary People, which can be guide everyone in difficult situations. Ordinary People is a meritorious novel, devoted to teaching common people how to fight through the hardships of life. The main characters, Conrad and Calvin Jarrett, are the epitome of a teen-parent relationship, albeit attempting to cope with two traumatic events. Before the book begins, Buck, the older of the two Jarrett brothers, dies in a boating accident. Conrad, flush with survivor’s guilt, unsuccessfully attempts suicide. Fresh off his release from the hospital, Conrad must continue to cope with the difficulties he faces in returning to his past self. On …show more content…
Symbolism is the use of objects, people, or situations to call to mind another element, in order to highlight the importance of the element. In Ordinary People, Guest uses confinement, orderliness, and the notion of reduction to display the need for communication. Over the course of the novel, the characters experience several feelings of confinement, whether it be the man stuck in the closet “full of junk” (pg 100), the snow, “piled high against the windows” (pg 115), or the metal tomb which “presses from all sides” (pg 77). The various recurrences of confinement represent the trapped feeling which the characters feel, thanks to their inability to share their emotions. Orderliness, which appears in the Jarrett’s meticulous schedule, exotic vacations, and perfectly cleaned house, fitted with bloodless rugs and regrouted tiles (pg 119) symbolizes a fear of truthful communication. Beth Jarrett, the engine behind the system, is eager to return back to normal, going so far as to ridicule her family for not appearing perfect. This comes about because Beth is afraid to communicate her feelings, responding by attempting to look flawless, like nothing ever happened. Reduction, from Conrad’s point of view, presents an important concept he must grasp in order to move on from the past. Conrad’s last vivid memory before his suicide attempt was a failed math test in which he …show more content…
A strained relationship is mended, a perfect relationship is destroyed, and a new relationship is born all based off communication. Calvin spends much of the novel asking about every detail of Conrad’s life, worried that he is not being a good father. This creates a strenuous relationship between the two, until the end, when Calvin finally shares why he has been so nervous (pg 259), ultimately bringing the men closer, and nearly drawing them to tears. Conrad and Calvin is the prime example in the novel of how friction in a relationship can be mended with proper communication. Unfortunately, readers are also shown what a lack of communication can do to a loving relationship. Calvin is very proactive when it comes to handling Conrad, whereas Beth is very passive, leading to both becoming frustrated with the other. Calvin realizes that he and Beth must communicate to settle their differences, because unlike what Beth thinks, “[Conrad] is not the problem” (pg 236). Too many nights of ignoring (pg 243) or arguing (pg 236) end up ending a relationship that many viewed to be flawless. It is apparent that Calvin realizes Conrad is not the problem, but the couple’s lack of communication because of Beth’s unwillingness, kills what even she still thought of as a loving marriage. The relationship between Conrad and Jeannine is created solely on
Judith Guest displays many important life lessons in her novel Ordinary People, which can be guide everyone in difficult situations. Ordinary People is a meritorious novel, devoted to teaching common people how to fight through the hardships of life. The main characters, Conrad and Calvin Jarrett, are the epitome of a teen-parent relationship, albeit attempting to cope with two traumatic events. Before the book begins, Buck, the older of the two Jarrett brothers, dies in a boating accident. Conrad, flush with survivor’s guilt, unsuccessfully attempts suicide. Fresh off his release from the hospital, Conrad must continue to cope with the difficulties he faces in returning to his past self. On …show more content…
Symbolism is the use of objects, people, or situations to call to mind another element, in order to highlight the importance of the element. In Ordinary People, Guest uses confinement, orderliness, and the notion of reduction to display the need for communication. Over the course of the novel, the characters experience several feelings of confinement, whether it be the man stuck in the closet “full of junk” (pg 100), the snow, “piled high against the windows” (pg 115), or the metal tomb which “presses from all sides” (pg 77). The various recurrences of confinement represent the trapped feeling which the characters feel, thanks to their inability to share their emotions. Orderliness, which appears in the Jarrett’s meticulous schedule, exotic vacations, and perfectly cleaned house, fitted with bloodless rugs and regrouted tiles (pg 119) symbolizes a fear of truthful communication. Beth Jarrett, the engine behind the system, is eager to return back to normal, going so far as to ridicule her family for not appearing perfect. This comes about because Beth is afraid to communicate her feelings, responding by attempting to look flawless, like nothing ever happened. Reduction, from Conrad’s point of view, presents an important concept he must grasp in order to move on from the past. Conrad’s last vivid memory before his suicide attempt was a failed math test in which he …show more content…
A strained relationship is mended, a perfect relationship is destroyed, and a new relationship is born all based off communication. Calvin spends much of the novel asking about every detail of Conrad’s life, worried that he is not being a good father. This creates a strenuous relationship between the two, until the end, when Calvin finally shares why he has been so nervous (pg 259), ultimately bringing the men closer, and nearly drawing them to tears. Conrad and Calvin is the prime example in the novel of how friction in a relationship can be mended with proper communication. Unfortunately, readers are also shown what a lack of communication can do to a loving relationship. Calvin is very proactive when it comes to handling Conrad, whereas Beth is very passive, leading to both becoming frustrated with the other. Calvin realizes that he and Beth must communicate to settle their differences, because unlike what Beth thinks, “[Conrad] is not the problem” (pg 236). Too many nights of ignoring (pg 243) or arguing (pg 236) end up ending a relationship that many viewed to be flawless. It is apparent that Calvin realizes Conrad is not the problem, but the couple’s lack of communication because of Beth’s unwillingness, kills what even she still thought of as a loving marriage. The relationship between Conrad and Jeannine is created solely on