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The Characters In Judith Guest's Ordinary People

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The novel Ordinary People, by Judith Guest is a touching and admirable story told from two similar however slightly different characters. The story is so touching due to all the emotions and everyday struggles on one seemingly ordinary family. The Jarret family, Conrad, Calvin and Beth, face anxiety, deep depression and growth as a unit throughout the book while different events in each character’s life that affects them differently. By telling the story from two different perspectives, a reader may conclude that Calvin and Beth both withhold many similarities, although they come off as completely opposite characters. Calvin can not help but feel guilt for the death of their oldest son’s death while Beth copes differently and shows no emotion. Calvin Jarret is a loving father filled with worry after his son Conrad attempts to commit suicide. Calvin, unlike his wife, feels so many different emotions, but does not know what is the right emotions is to feel. He is a dynamic character who constantly struggles to please everyone because of how much love he has for each member of his family. One example of his failed attempts would be on Christmas Day, “Okay I’m concerned! Sometimes I worry! I’m interested, damn it! Are you …show more content…

The event in the book forced their true colors to come to the surface and unfortunantely, they both disagreed with each other. As much as Calvin pushed himslef to change and stay wioth Beth regardless of her lack of emotion, in the end, he had to let her go. As for Beth, she had wanted to leave the memories and all the judgement that came alng with them since Conrad’s atempt. It was hard for Calvin, but in a way it was a relief because he know that Conrad could feel the pressure of her disapproval and with her gone he could finally be the helpful father that he has been trying to

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