Ordinary People
Ordinary People, by Judith Guest, was about a family who has had two tragedies and how they dealt with these tragedies. This story shows how the environment in which one lives affects ones reaction to tragedy.
The Jarred family, were ordinary people. The family consisted of the father Calvin, the mother Beth and two sons Buck and Conrad. They were an upper class family in good financial standing. They apparently had a happy life until Buck died in a boating accident.
Calvin was a concerned father and husband. He tried to keep everyone happy. Beth, who was the mother and wife, was a cold frigid woman, who liked everything organized. She was very rigid and wanted everything in its place. Beth appeared to be concerned about her own needs, never about the needs of others. She was egocentric and narcissistic. She was unable to share her feelings of love, happiness or sadness. Conrad’s parents, especially his mother, loved Buck. Buck was on the swim team and the best on his team. He needed more attention to follow through on things and appears to have been a bit of a daredevil. Conrad, a senior in high school, appears to have been a good child who always followed rules and regulations; never requiring his parents to remind him of things; he was always on task.
Buck and Conrad went out boating. The weather started turning bad and instead of going back to the harbor, they continued boating. When the storm got bad, Conrad was telling Buck to bring down the sail but he could not. The boat capsized and they were both in the water. Buck told his brother Conrad they had to hold on to each other. Conrad tried unsuccessfully to hold onto his brother. Buck drowned and Conrad survived.
Beth did not show her feelings at her son’s funeral. She was concerned with how her son and husband looked. She told her husband to change his shirt and shoes. Calvin tried to take care of his remaining family, trying to keep communication going without much success.
The Jarred family, were ordinary people. The family consisted of the father Calvin, the mother Beth and two sons Buck and Conrad. They were an upper class family in good financial standing. They apparently had a happy life until Buck died in a boating accident.
Calvin was a concerned father and husband. He tried to keep everyone happy. Beth, who was the mother and wife, was a cold frigid woman, who liked everything organized. She was very rigid and wanted everything in its place. Beth appeared to be concerned about her own needs, never about the needs of others. She was egocentric and narcissistic. She was unable to share her feelings of love, happiness or sadness. Conrad’s parents, especially his mother, loved Buck. Buck was on the swim team and the best on his team. He needed more attention to follow through on things and appears to have been a bit of a daredevil. Conrad, a senior in high school, appears to have been a good child who always followed rules and regulations; never requiring his parents to remind him of things; he was always on task.
Buck and Conrad went out boating. The weather started turning bad and instead of going back to the harbor, they continued boating. When the storm got bad, Conrad was telling Buck to bring down the sail but he could not. The boat capsized and they were both in the water. Buck told his brother Conrad they had to hold on to each other. Conrad tried unsuccessfully to hold onto his brother. Buck drowned and Conrad survived.
Beth did not show her feelings at her son’s funeral. She was concerned with how her son and husband looked. She told her husband to change his shirt and shoes. Calvin tried to take care of his remaining family, trying to keep communication going without much success.
Cited: American Psychiatric Association (1994). DSM IV Guest, Judith (1982). Ordinary People Kubler-Ross, Elisabeth (1969). On Death & Dying