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Ordinary People Sparknotes

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After a traumatic event, it is the people in your life that can help you recover. This relates to the book, Ordinary People, by Judith Guest. In the book, the main character Conrad goes through lots of suffering in his past, but shows his commitment to getting better. His brother dies, he becomes very depressed, tries to commit suicide, and goes in and out of a hospital. When he comes back from the hospital, the school year starts, and all he tries to do is get through it. He starts seeing a therapist, and kind of has a group of friends, and he is on the swim team. As he meets new people, and does the things that make him happy, he starts to noticeably change, mentally and physically. With the help of the people around him, Conrad goes from …show more content…

Berger who helps him grow mentally. When Conrad goes for the first time, he says he wants control. ‘“I’d like to be more in control, I guess. So people can quit worrying about me”’ (42). At first it begins as though he wants to get better for the sake of the people around him. At this point in the story, if something had happened to disrupt his life, he probably would have spiraled like he had in the past. You learn that later in the story, his hospital friend Karen, takes her own life and it does send him spiraling despite the progress he has made. He gets flashbacks of what happened in the past, and gets worried he is going to do something bad to himself so he calls Dr. Berger. When he gets the chance to speak, he can't bring himself to let his feelings out. ‘“You keep at me, make me talk about things I can't talk about, I can't!”’(222). Next, you learn that he feels responsible for the death of his brother, and that's why he's suffered so much the past few years. ‘“For killing him, don't you know that?”’(223). Once Conrad calms down, Berger says to him that it was good he had a breakdown. ‘“Feeling is not selective, I keep telling you that”’ (227). Throughout the course of the sessions held, Berger talked to Conrad about feeling, and in the beginning of the book, he wasn't able to let himself feel

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Unfortunately Con does not warm up easily to people, he finds it hard to share his feelings with others. However, as he gets to know and trust others he is not as scared to talk to them which is a small sign of Conrad 's independence . At Cons first appointment with Dr. Berger Con told him "I 'd like to be more in control, I guess. So people can quit worrying about me"( 43). This can give us a pretty good idea of Cons mental state right after he is released.

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Ordinary People Lack of communication leads to much dysfunction. Ordinary People based on the book by Judith Guest revolves around the Jarrett family and their efforts to communicate. Conrad Jarrett, the son of Calvin and Beth Jarrett, struggles with PTSD and survivor’s guilt after the death of his brother in a boating accident. Additionally, Beth, who favored her older son, has isolated herself from Conrad. She distances herself emotionally, whilst trying to maintain the family’s idealistic reputation.

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Through Dr.Berger's advice, Conrad was able to heal after coming home from the hospital.. In the first session with Dr.Berger, Conrad told Dr.Berger he wanted more control. Dr.Beger noticed

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Quarter 1 Conrad first visits since leaving the mental health hospital he feels a disconnection to the rest of the world. He needs to either get back to his routine or find a new way that helps him to move past his brother's death. Conrad is in denial and that is why he went to the mental hospital. At the hospital, he was able to escape the reality of life with no responsibility. He also is at a loss of identity.

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The film Ordinary People follows the family of a once suicidal teenage boy, Conrad, who is dealing with severe survivor's guilt after the death of his older brother, Buck, at sea. Throughout the movie, dysfunction within the family is very evident on many different occasions. Each of the three remaining members of the household; Beth Jarrett, Calvin Jarrett and, as mentioned before, Conrad Jarrett, demonstrate many instances where inadequacy in conflict management is clearly shown. If not for these deficiencies, however, the family would have been able to better cope and recover from the loss of Buck.

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This is due to Calvin’s overprotection of Conrad, Beth’s narcissism, and how their parenting principles differ. This only creates more tension between the two. In Judith Guest’s, Ordinary People, Calvin’s overprotection of Conrad, Beth’s narcissism, and conflicting parenting principles leads to Calvin and

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After his oldest son has died, all his attention he gives to Conrad and his healing to get better. He always asks about his health, which is not always like Conrad. The relationship of father and son were not always perfect, but each time they start the better the communication. For example, after Conrad's fight with a friend, Calvin tries to make everything to comfort his son.

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Beth suppresses the thought that her family has problems, and just wants to think of her family as a normal family. Calvin wants to be the positive character, when in reality, is being silent about his feelings of the incident. First of all, the film shows Conrad expressing examples of silence and violence towards the incident involving his brothers death. As shown in the film, in the past, Conrad had previously tried to commit suicide, because he felt guilty

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Since Buck, Conrad’s brother, is dead, Conrad is feeling depressed seeing that the house is more empty now that Buck is gone. Conrad also shows deep depression in school when his teacher questions him asking, “Why are you writing all this about violence and war? Aren’t there other things you’d like to say, Conrad? This doesn’t sound like you.” (Guest 19).

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He has suicidal urges all over again, but this time he fights them and frantically makes an emergency appointment with Dr. Berger. He shows up at his office in a broken state in the middle of the night. Conrad sobs uncontrollably and everything comes pouring out: the whole story of the night Buck died and how he blamed himself, his mother’s hatred for him, and how he was never good enough. Dr. Berger listens and holds him like a parent would hold a child and finally, Conrad begins to calm down. Through psychotherapy, Berger has allowed his client to work through his guilt, anger, and grief successfully in a painful and moving emotional battle.

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