Ordinary People Literary Analysis

Kat Routhier
May 3, 2016
Mrs.Burton-College Comp
Literary Analysis #3
Ordinary People: A Very Ordinary Literary Analysis

Ordinary People is an award winning novel written by Judith Guest that explores and welcomes readers into to not-so-ordinary lives of Calvin, Beth, and Conrad Jarrett. Conscious stream of thought is the style the book is written in, and allows a more in depth look into the Jarret’s lives. Relationships start and end throughout the book, and some just never change. In this analysis, the similarities of Beth and Conrad will be looked upon, as well as the little progression they’ve had in the novel and the progression they will never have. The relationship between Beth and Conrad is very rough in the beginning, Beth really

When Beth and Calvin go away on a little mini vacation to see Beth’s brother in Texas, Beth and Calvin have an extreme argument that has been pent up over the course of the book. Beth has a hard time accepting and forgiving what has happened, as shown on page 176, “It is not in her nature to forgive”. Beth believes that Conrad was essentially trying to blackmail her or manipulate her by trying to kill himself, when in reality, Conrad can’t forgive himself for Buck’s death. This is all apart of Beth’s character though, and in this part of the book Beth finally cracks and readers get to see what she is really thinking and

Even though she has made it clear that she doesn’t hate him, she just will never forgive him. In the end of the novel, Beth leaves the countries and all of her problems behind. She states that it is only temporary, but is presumably permanent. This finally allows Conrad to break free of her wrath, and have his own closure. He isn’t terribly upset that she’s gone, but he had just wished she said goodbye to him. Conrad realizes when he is waiting for Lazenby that he and Beth will never be the same nor will they ever have a relationship.
He will see her when she comes home, maybe drive over to his grandmother’s house some morning, and say hello. Just hello, nothing important. No point in it anyway, because she knows it all, knows just as well as he does that it is love, imperfect and unordered, that keeps them apart, even as it holds them somehow together; knows also that there was no boiling water; no rats, either. (Guest