relationships in Ordinary People

887 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Human relations

Beth and Calvin
The relationship between the husband and wife seems initially to be perfect. They both show each other expressions of love. There is understanding, harmony, financial security, and good communication between them. The couple spends a lot of time together, discussing future plans, and talking about the good moments they had in the past. However, behind all of this positive interaction between the two of them is something they are both not able to face. The tragic loss of their son, Buck has caused a great amount of pain and anger they are not expressing.
The wife lived in denial, trying to live the life of a perfect person unaffected by what had happened to her son Buck. A certain image had to be upheld and everything else was secondary. Even the love for her husband was not as perfect as it was shown..She tries to keep these feelings and memories of her lost son buried deep inside her. She finds it very difficult to show any emotion concerning the fact that one of her sons is never coming back. She tried to portray an image of things being just perfect. Her portrayal includes not wanting to discuss anything that may upset her, she is always walking away from the conversation. It seems as though she does it in every scene. The scene that caught my attention the most was at the end, when she walked away from Calvin after he said he wasn’t sure if he still loved her. That is a pretty powerful statement, and you would think she would want to know why. I’m sure she did, she just didn’t know how to discuss it. So par for the course, she walked away, with something else she will have to tuck away for the rest of her life.

Conrad and Calvin
Conrad and his father, Calvin, had a very good and strong trusting relationship. Although Conrad was stubborn and didn't want to speak of his troubles, Calvin would keep trying and didn't give up. Calvin really cared for Conrad and wanted him to share his feelings and emotions. For example, there was a scene when Calvin would walk into Conrad's room just to make sure he was doing fine. Calvin not only showed his affections nonverbally, he showed them verbally also. He wanted to see his son back to life, back to who he was.

Show More
Related

  • Relationships: Now and Then

    1405 Words  | 3 Pages

    Do we still live in the seventeenth century? It’s very interesting to look back at the differences and similarities in men’s and women’s relationships since then. My husband, Sean, and I were brought up very differently; he was only raised by his mother who provided everything for him food, shelter, and love whereas I had the more traditional family in being raised by both parents. My father was the provider, a construction worker who worked long hours five to six days a week, and my mother, a homemaker, tended the home doing the cooking, cleaning, and also caring for us children. Now that I’m older and have my own husband and children, I find myself using the traditional traits that I’ve seen and learned from my parents. Tending to my husband’s and children’s every need not only seems to be a normal feeling, but it’s a natural instinct for me. According to Edward S. Morgan in The Puritan Family: Religion and Domestic Relations in Seventeenth-Century New England, “In each relationship God had ordained that one party be superior, the other inferior….Wives were instructed that woman was made ultimately for God but immediately for man….” In living in the twenty first century, relationships seem to be better now than they were in the seventeenth century. Men and women today are marrying for love and happiness, and also building their lives together as a team whereas the Puritans married because it was a law of God where the husband was in charge of his wife and being happy didn’t exist.

    Read More

  • Case Study On Personal Relationships

    749 Words  | 2 Pages

    Upon first meeting with my manager about a potential job change, I was feeling conflicted with a career promotion possibility and my family situation. Things have been tense at home and I feel I am doing less than my share in taking care of the kids since I have such a long commute. I feel I never have enough time for all the things in my life that are important to me. My personal relationships are the most important thing to me and when they are not in a good place my job life suffers too. Some days at work I feel I am just going through the motions and not giving 100% to my clients. During the meeting, she wanted my response on 6 options ranging from promotions to travel as well as maintaining my current job. I realized I was going to have to give a lot of thought to the matter and make sure that the decision I was about to make would line up with who I

    Read More

  • The Complications Of Successful Communication In Marriage

    1461 Words  | 3 Pages

    In a marriage, there are lessons to be learned from one moment to the next. Part of the purpose of being together is to make each other happy, create new memories and experiences, worship together, and connect on various other levels. However, through the joy and climbing the ladder, there will be some challenging obstacles the couple will face. Not all couples face the same issues, but if the effort to determine a solution is not given, then the outcome may be the same, divorce or separation.

    Read More

  • Marital Relationships: Couple Case Study

    1720 Words  | 4 Pages

    David Clarke (2001) describes the individuals in a marriage have different sexually, physically, hormonally, intellectually, brain construction and chemistry, emotional expression, personality, and family background. Therefore, couples have to learn how to comprise, problem solve, and communicate to create an atmosphere in the marriage were the couple can grow as individuals and as a couple.

    Read More

  • marriage

    1073 Words  | 3 Pages

    According to Normal family process Driver, Tabaras ,Nahm and Gottman (2013), John Gottman , has found that the leading difference between stable and unstable marriages is the quantity of positive thoughts and actions partner engage in each other . For example, the Sandoval’s marriage both focuses on their positive interactions. On other hand, marriage that have negative interactions such as criticizing, demanding, holding grudges, name calling and ect. Their relationship tends to suffer. There is also marriages that do not have any negativity and this can also be a problem because, it means frustrations are being to discussed between the partners and therefore, unsettled tension is accumulating to both partners. It is clear that there must be a balance between both extremes. Some of the things the Sandoval’s do to keep a positivity in their marriage is: truly listening to each other needs, taking joy in each other’s achievements.

    Read More

  • Relationships

    684 Words  | 2 Pages

    out about it later. In a relationship you can tell when you’re losing interest in each other. Some signs are that you don’t talk much with each other, you

    Read More

  • Healthy Relationships Research Paper

    860 Words  | 2 Pages

    In happy relationships, there are five simultaneous relationships happening. Healthy relationships are based upon each person having a relationship with him-or-herself. The relationship with the self is the basic building block of a relationship. Both parties must have broken through their denial systems to some extent, achieved some modicum of honesty with themselves, and become willing to take responsibility for themselves. In general, each must be a person in his or her own right. If one does not have a relationship with the self, it is truly impossible to have a living process (healthy) relationship; it will not be possible to be honest with the "other" if one is not in contact with oneself.

    Read More

  • Communication: The Key to Relationship Success

    938 Words  | 2 Pages

    “[...] The success of a relationship is solely dependent on two factors: a man's ability to listen lovingly and respectfully to a woman's feelings, and a woman's ability to show her feelings in a loving and respectful way” (John Gray). When I read this simple and yet heavy quote, I was greatly perplexed. How can the success of any relationship be dependent only on two factors? Simply put with one word: communication. We tend to over complicate relationships, with anxieties and insecurities, oblivious to the solution literally being on the tips of our tongues. Closely inspecting this quote, however, I realized that this is a team effort, it is as much my responsibility as it is his. Therefore, mentally highlighting the woman's role; my role, in this team effort, all of a sudden created a serious challenge. As a 21-year-old woman, I find it extremely difficult at

    Read More

  • Relationships

    719 Words  | 2 Pages

    Interpersonal relationships define us. When we are fortunate enough to experience a loving relationship, we achieve positive characteristics such as security and confidence. Conversely, when we experience negative relationships, we become withdrawn, guarded, and wary of engaging in future relationships. However, it is this wariness that causes us to examine our contribution to the relationship to make the next one, or current one, more successful. In essence, it is not just the good or bad relationships that make us who we are, but also what we learn about ourselves from them.

    Read More

  • The Influence Of Romantic Relationships

    1409 Words  | 3 Pages

    Fundamentally, romantic relationships are great experiences. It’s a mixture of ups and downs, communication, passion, and even babies. Yet, relationships are difficult to analyze due to the many considerations—personal opinions, cultural differences, etc— that contribute to a certain perspective on what a human relationship is. Thus, it is complex to think about the many influencing factors that determine whether starting a relationship or being in one is worth a young individual’s time. Interestingly, in recent years, an emerging set of slang amongst millennials has heavily influenced a negative attitude towards existing and surfacing long-term relationships. In fact, it may have even played a part in the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ 2014 report

    Read More

  • Theoretical Perspective And Research

    992 Words  | 2 Pages

    As a psychologist-in-training, I see relationship as the key to change with my clients and as such I agree with the statement that relationships with others are seen as the fundamental cornerstone of human development. There are a number of theoretical perspectives and research studies that we’ve covered this semester that supports this claim. In this essay, I will discuss theoretical perspective and research that emphasize the important of relationship as part of human development.

    Read More

  • The Importance Of Husband Wife Romance

    867 Words  | 2 Pages

    In maintaining romance husband and wife needed the presence of good communication. If not, communication between the husband and wife could be connected again. Husband wants to invite to dinner outside or bought gifts on special days, e.g., even suspected his wife as a form of bribery for the error that has been done. Good intentions which not well communicated will leave the uncomfortable atmosphere would develop into conflicts. Unresolved conflicts must potentially be a stumbling

    Read More

  • Relationships

    1174 Words  | 3 Pages

    Whether it occurs in the home, at work, or many other places, human beings maintain relationships everywhere they go. People have different types of relationships. A person keeps a relationship with their mother, pastor, friend, and boss, but those relationships are all different. There are many different elements to analyze when discussing a relationship. Many factors are involved, such as amount of time spent, amount of intimacy, types of activities participated in, and dependability of the relationship.The first type of relationship a person typically has, are ones that are formed within a religious setting, such as a church, temple, or synagogue.

    Read More

  • The Importance Of Personal Relationships

    1017 Words  | 3 Pages

    As a college student, I’m exploring my values, beliefs, and identities that I will have as an independent adult. Through this exploration process, I’ve had to adjust to living with people in close proximity (dorm)—including managing my social relationships with those people. As a result of adjusting to and exploring adult independence, I’ve both gained and lost social relationships. For example, I have a friend that identifies herself as an atheist. One of the identities that I’ve become strongly committed to in college is being a Christian. As a result, she and I disagree on many ideas and beliefs. The relationship that I had with her has become weaker, compared to the beginning of my freshman year. As we developed our own adult independence, our beliefs have started to affect our relationship

    Read More

  • Personal relationships

    890 Words  | 2 Pages

    I don’t think that anything brings people together more than mutual hatred, except mutual hatred for each other. I suppose that is why my ex-boyfriends and I still talk to each other, or, I should say, one of my ex-boyfriends, Rob. The other one, Andrew, and I don’t talk at all. I suppose that means we must really hate each other. But the reason we don’t talk is that it still hurts, and that wound runs very deep, I doubt if it will ever heal. The “blues” is losing someone you love and not having enough money to immerse yourself in drink. And so when I had lost Andrew, Cupid sent Rob along, and he paid for the tab. In short, I am convinced that Andrew is heartless and devoid of having any conviction or remorse for his wickedness. And as for Rob, I am honored to be able to say that, yes, he is my friend, and one of the most amazing people I have ever met.

    Read More

More about relationships in Ordinary People

Open Document