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Virtue In Judith Guest's Ordinary People

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“Courage is the most important of all the virtues because without courage, you can’t practice any other virtue consistently.”-Maya Angelou. This quote applies to everyone who has experience pain or tragedy throughout their lives. In Ordinary People, the protagonist Conrad Jarrett, has gone through a lot after the death of his elder brother, Jack Jarrett. He attempts suicide and it looks like he will not come back from the depths of depression. It look as if there is no return. In the book, Ordinary People, written by Judith Guest, the character Conrad Jarrett shows that courage is needed to practice any other virtue such as, optimism, bravery and perseverance. Firstly, we see Conrad's optimism in the book, which uses a lot of courage. …show more content…

They’re both virtues, we see both of these virtues come out Conrad after having many bad nightmares throughout the night calls Dr.Berger and says “ I need to see you” (Guest 219). This shows that Conrad isn’t afraid or skeptical about Dr.Berger anymore. He finds the bravery to call and tell him that he needs help. After Dr.Berger says yes, Conrad rushes to go see him and bursts out everything he is feeling. This shows honesty which is another one of the virtues, honesty gets you through a lot of situations and in this case it is getting Conrad through a bad night but also a much needed sit down to clear things up about how he is feeling. Lack of communication is a huge factor in blow ups and a setback in getting better. Communication with yourself is the strongest communicating relationship you should have. Conrad had a strong communicating relationship with himself but not with the people around him. He needed to learn that there are people around him that want to help him. He just needs to step out of his comfort zone. A comfort zone is a place where a person feels at ease. Conrad didn’t feel at ease at the start of the book after talking to anyone. Towards the end you see him talk more and he even gets a girlfriend. This shows him stepping out of his comfort zone and communicating more. The people around you really does make a different outcome on the person you are. This relates to the part in the quote “you can’t practice …show more content…

Beth finds out that Conrad has quit the swimming team and she confronts him. She says that she got embarrassed by him since she didn't know he quit and she starts to scream at him. He tells her that she doesn't even care about him. He yells “Listen, I know why she never came out there, not once! I know! Hell, she was going to goddamn Spain and goddamn Portugal…” (Guest 111). She went on vacation while her son was in the hospital after he tried to commit suicide. She never talks to Conrad, never asks him how he is doing. She doesn’t want anything to do with them. Usually when you are young your mother is someone that helps you through your adolescent age. When you become older your dad takes over. In this case Conrad doesn’t have a mother to help him through life since his mother does not show any compassion towards him he has to learn to go through adolescent life without a strong motherly figure. This shows a lot of perseverance, because he doesn’t have his mother to turn to in these tough times. He is a kid having to go through this with one parent by his side. He seems to cope with it well, but sometimes you know when there is a moment in the book that a boy just needs his

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She creates stories and makes assumptions. She also prefers to talk, not listen. For example, when Beth and Calvin go to play golf, Calvin tells Beth that Conrad “needs to know that you don’t hate him”. She gets defensive immediately and starts to accuse Conrad of telling lies to his father, convinced that Conrad is against her. She shows signs of violence, including labeling Instead, she should control her stories and presume that people are basically good.

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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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