Ordinary People Character Analysis

In both the book and the movie Beth, the mother, never really checked on Conrad much. Calvin did most of the parenting with Conrad. She seemed distant from everyone like she didn’t care about them. But in the book we never got to see her point of view so in the movie we learned how she really felt. In the movie Beth says she thinks Conrad isn’t happy at school and and people don’t like being around him. She says she can’t deal with him anymore. Beth comes off as a little selfish. Even towards the end of the movie Calvin asked her why she didn’t even cry at Jordan’s funeral. He says that he was going crazy because his son just died and all she was worried about was how he looked. So even though in the book and movie are different points of view of Beth she still seems like the same person that doesn’t show emotion and is distant.

Authors in many instances use the main elements in the story such as setting and narrative to prove a point in the story. For example, writers often use characters, their actions, and their interaction with other characters to support or prove a theme. In the short story “Our Thirteenth Summer”, Barry Callaghan effectively uses characters to develop the theme that childhood is fragile and easily influenced. One of the ways that Callaghan makes effective use of characters to develop the theme is by describing the tension between Bobbie and his parents. This usage of characters supports the theme because Bobbie’s childhood is no longer free to do what he wishes, but has to bow down to his parents’

Will-power and determination plays a major role when it comes to people accomplishing goals and performing the tasks they are given. When a person possesses these two qualities they are motivated, focused, will not give up easily, determined along with many other things. The word determination is defined as, “the act of coming to a decision or of fixing or settling a purpose.” Will-power is, “the strength or will to carry out one’s decisions, wishes, or plans.” In the short story A Worn Path by Eudora Welty, the main character Phoenix carried out the meaning of these two words throughout the whole story. She had experienced many road blocks during her journey, but she did not let them stop her from reaching

Regarding psychological functioning, Conrad is under the vicious cycle of depression. His brother’s death led him to adapt a negative explanatory style. This in turn resulted in his depressed mood and cognitive and behavioral changes. He also believes that he has disobeyed his parents and does not deserve their forgiveness or affection (1:09:38). Conrad lives with a sense of guilt, not only for attempting suicide, but for things he had no control over (ex. Karen’s death). From a socio-cultural approach, Conrad depression worsens due to his unstable relationship with his mother, along with other relationships in his life. Throughout the movie, we clearly see that Conrad’s mother does not understand the severity of Conrad’s mental state. She frequently believes that Conrad is fine and wants their lives to ‘get back to normal’ (0:24:37). She believes Conrad’s mental health is a phase that can be fixed by simply being harder on him. The movie also takes place in a time where discussing mental health is taboo. Mental illness was significantly less common and thought to be a touchy subject. Throughout the movie, we can see that people do not know how to approach the Jarretts about Conrad’s state and frequently stumble through conversations or do not understand the situation (0:22:14; 0:31:52; 0:48:05). This plays a part in Conrad’s depression because he feels he can’t talk to or relate to anyone

Abstractly, it almost seems as though the other characters in the book look down on his for this not because he is not mourning, but rather because he is not mourning in the way they are. This sheds light on the overall theme of the novel, that of people being cast out of society because their views and methods do not line up with the accepted ways of society.

In the movie Ordinary People, the Jarrett family is faced with traumatic events that provoke situations of crucial communication. The family members, Conrad (son), Beth (mother), and Calvin (father), have to deal with the loss of their beloved older son and brother. The loss of Buck hit Conrad, especially hard, resting displaced guilt on his shoulders. Conrad buckles under the guilt and pain, allowing him to draw in the dark emotions that fill his heart and mind attempting to end his life and end the agony. The opening of the movie is set in the time following Conrad’s release from the hospital when he returns to a quiet home with little love and compassion released from his mother's heart. He returned to a place of more pain. Beth, the mother,

Parents are perhaps the greatest influences in a person life. They mentor us, shape us and model us into the type of people they would be proud of. This is no different in the movie, Ordinary People which portrays a family of three struggling through a tragedy and its byproducts. The movie highlights the three different parenting styles through the two parents, Beth and Calvin, of Conrad. Furthermore the movie underscores the impact of externals events on parenting styles relating the Person-Situation Controversy to Parenting styles.

Young people live life by the day. The process of self discovery begins as a teenager. For some, this could take years. For others, it could happen quickly. Sometimes hardship leads people towards self-discovery. In the book Ordinary People, by Judith Guest, Conrad struggles with his identity; in the past, Conrad was never able to do anything without his brother’s influence. Once his brother drowns, Conrad feels lost without him. In the beginning, middle and end of the book, Conrad goes through the stages of grief, and through this process, Conrad discovers his identity.

The movie, Ordinary People, is about a family that is currently suffering the unexpected death of their son, Buck, due to a boating accident. Shortly after, their youngest son and now only child, Conrad, tries to committee suicide by slitting his wrists, but was saved by his father, Calvin, who found him in the bathroom. Conrad was with

The novel Ordinary People by Judith Guest is about two people, a boy named Conrad, and his father Calvin. Conrad is slowly trying to recover from his attempted suicide while Calvin is trying to fix the relationship between him and his wife Beth. The both of them each have different ways to go through grief, which ends up distancing them. Calvin thinks it best to talk it over but Beth thinks that it already happened so there’s no use in talking about it. Reading this story, I kind of understood how Conrad must have felt. For something so traumatizing to happen, it’s no wonder he feels how he does. I would probably be the same.

The book Beyond The Pale is about Two ordinary people (Travis Wilder and Grace Beckett) who get transported to this new and magic filled world that resembles earths medieval times. With there new found powers they hope to save this new world from its impending doom. (The pale king and his iron heart followers). I choose to write about Grace for my character analysis because I admire her intelligence, her cleverness, and her independent nature. Grace is intelligent because she always had a plan.

Imagine losing a friend or a brother to a tragic accident. This happens to the Jarrett family in the movie Ordinary People, after they suffer the loss of their son Buck in a boating accident. Conrad, Buck’s brother, is a survivor of the accident who suffers from depression and suicidal thoughts. Beth Jarret is the mother who does not want talk about the death, and Calvin Jarrett is the father who just wants to appease his wife while trying to understand Conrad. Dysfunction and poor communication within the family can be solved through conflict management techniques.

In Ordinary People, the Jarrett family is the recipient of a tragic loss of the 18 year old boy in the family, Buck. With everything being so "ordinary" before the accident, they are unprepared to deal with such a loss and have intense trouble trying to communicate how each one feels to each other as they grieve. Conrad has just gotten out of the hospital from a suicide attempt when the family is introduced. This is yet another problem added on to an already rough circumstance for the family. If they had any knowledge on conflict management and had used the skills, they could have avoided a great deal of the problems that unravel throughout the film. Conrad, Beth, and Calvin engage in different types of silence or violence through the film.

The Jarrett's' have always believed themselves to be ordinary people, but after a their firstborn son, Jordan "Buck" Jarrett, drowns and their second born son, Conrad, attempts suicide their whole world is turned upside-down. When Conrad comes home from his mental institution he feels that things have changed. Conrad's relationship with his parents has changed. The relationship that Conrad has with his parents change throughout the novel and are shaky all the way to the last page.

Conrad's father does most of the worrying because he blames himself for Conrad's suicide attempt.   Though the logical part of Calvin's brain tells him it wasn't his fault, he still believes that he should have paid more attention to Conrad. This is usually the role a mother plays with her son. Calvin is not an ordinary parent. He shows genuine concern and is trying to make things right before his world falls apart. Beth, on the other hand, thinks that Calvin worries too much about Conrad.  She is so caught up in trying to maintain her perfect life that she becomes a cold-hearted, superficial shell of a woman.