Happiness, anger, depression, love, and hate, are all common human emotions that are either expressed, or ignored. In the reality struck movie, Ordinary People, the Jarrets family has a difficult time expressing these emotions, which causes much distress in everyone. After the tragic death of a son, parents, Beth and Calvin, do not address any feelings with each other. Moreover, they form a great void with their one surviving son, Conrad. With emotions overflowing and frequent miscommunication, all characters experience fathomless misery. The conflicts between Beth, Calvin, and Conrad could be resolved with necessary discussion and genuine listening to release the burdens placed upon them; however, the family’s tendency to respond to all dilemmas with “silence” or “violence,” results in hospitalizing actions and chaos. Conrad: the guilt stricken boy who attempts his own death. Conrad frequently lets depression sink in and with no correct placement for his feelings. For example, Conrad displays avoidance while quitting his swim team, claiming he was bored and lost his passion of the sport. However, he was actually avoiding the water, for it …show more content…
Beth often masks her feelings, while pretending everything is perfect with a smile on her face. However, under that smile is a million years worth of pain and shock that she never allows herself to accept. For instance, when Beth grieves the death of her son, she acts as if nothing happened and shifts the subject on to something different, like the outfit her husband wears. Her use of masking only creates greater voids and a weaker connection between the entire family. It pains her to look at Conrad, for she lost her favorite son, so she masks this pain by only speaking to him when he needs to do homework, brush his teeth, or go to bed. Therefore, she stays shallow and only attends to the surface
Beth goes out of her way to make sure that her family's image is perfect
After coming out of the hospital, Conrad is forced to relearn how to deal with every day situations. Learning how to establish routines and manage his own life is Conrad's first step on his way to recovery and self-discovery. Beth deals with Conrad's suicide attempt in a very different way, she is very enclosed and in a constant state of denial. This is just the first of many actions until she reveals her true colors. "Will you talk to him this morning? About the clothes. He's got a closet full of decent things and he goes off every day looking like a bum, Cal" (7).
Ordinary People is a book that examines the life of a typical American family that seems to have it all together. It exposes the major conflicts among them; pain, misunderstanding, hurt, forgiveness, and ultimately if possible healing. Conrad - with the story told mostly through his perspective, he being the one furthering the resulting course of events and at the same time the protagonist and antagonist ? is the main character of the story. While boating on a lake with his older brother, a fierce gale picks up capsizing their boat and eventually leading to the death of his brother when he drowns. A failed suicide attempt by Conrad reveals how much he blames himself for the tragic turn of events and the lack of communication between him and his parents. The process of healing is painfully slow till the end. Conrad visits a psychiatrist, the conflict with his mother continues to grow and he somewhat patches up the relationship with his father. In the very end, Conrad learns he cannot replace his dead brother and can only be himself; he is prepared for whatever might come.
...lt that he caused problems to everyone with whom he had contact. After much struggle, however, Conrad realized that he was not the problem and that he did not need to hold back his feelings. Calvin originally thought that Beth was perfect and was confused as to the extent of his responsibility as a father. With Dr. Berger's help, Calvin came to understand that Beth was not the ideal mother and that the things he blamed himself for were not really his fault. The conclusion can be drawn that one needs external help in order to develop psychologically. Calvin and Conrad voluntarily met with Dr. Berger in search of assistance while Beth refused his aid. This may be the reason that Beth was not able to reach emotional maturity while Calvin and Conrad matured greatly.
In Ordinary People, Conrad Jarret's alienation is exacerbated by the loss of his brother, which is evident in his failed suicide attempt. This profound sentiment relevant to Conrad's alienation is continually seen as a reoccurring theme throughout the novel, and provides structure to fully understanding the extent of Conrad's isolation. The book begins one month past Conrad's release from the hospital, which introduces the reader to his already damaged and fragile state. In essence, the failed suicide attempt can be directly translated as the feeling of not belonging. In initiating his road to recovery, he meets with Dr. Berger, a psychiatrist. Conrad is reluctant to begin these appointments, and tells Berger directly that he does not think highly of psychiatry. However, he eventually submits to examining himself and tells Berger that he needs to gain more control. Continuing in this segment of initiation, Conrad reveal...
Throughout the film a focus on family and the dynamics is prominent. A traumatic event, the loss of a son, brother, and friend, has influenced the Jarrett greatly. Due to the circumstances in which Conrad, a severely depressed teenager and the main character, was present during the death of his brother, feelings of guilt had built up in this young man. A great deal of stress and tension is built between the family members because of this tragic accident. Here is where the concept of, change in one part of the familial system reverberates through out other parts. (Duty, 2010) The relationship between the Conrad and his mother become even more absent because, in the film it is presented to show that the mother blames and has not forgiven Conrad for the death of his brother Buck. Six months after the death of his brother Conrad attempts suicide with razors in the bathroom of his home. His parents commit him to a psychiatric hospital and eight months later, he is trying to resume his “old” life.
“The story employs a dramatic point of view that emphasizes the fragility of human relationships. It shows understanding and agreemen...
In the movie, Ordinary People, the Jarrett family struggles through the grieving process, only worsened through poor communication. The family lost their oldest son in a boating accident, and then, suffering with survivor’s guilt, the other son attempts suicide. Through all these horrific situations, the family struggles to grieve because of poor communication and refusal to process the feelings. If they had utilized conflict management skills their communication could have improved and the emotions could have been released in a healthy way. Conrad Jarrett began the movie in silence but grew over time to communicate more effectively and process his emotions with the help of his friends, dad, and doctor. Beth Jarrett experienced complete denial about what happened. Calvin Jarrett, though not perfectly, tries his best to create genuine dialogue and guide his family through this difficult time.
Ordinary People starts off already in a broken world. Buck has died, and Conrad has already attempted suicide, therefore, healing is a main focus throughout the book. Beth and Calvin’s marriage is also very rocky and they together are trying to see if things will work out by healing and saving their relationship. Judith Guest shows the journey through Conrad’s life and his progress to becoming completely healed. Beth and Calvin’s relationship is also monitored and in the end just goes downhill by Beth leaving.
After Karen dies, something in Conrad’s mind sparks, and he begins to think a lot about Jordan. While visiting Dr. Berger, Conrad is a mess as they discuss his brother, and all he begs for is forgiveness. When Berger asks what for, Conrad cries“[f]or killing him, don’t you know that? For letting him drown” (Guest 223). Here, Conrad exposes his emotions towards the death of his brother. All this time, guilt has been Conrad’s shadow, and he has kept it to himself. He feels as if he could have done more to help save Buck and therefore, must take all the blame. Conrad cannot move past this until he is somehow punished, and until that happens, he will not make a full recovery. Conrad feels guilty for being unable to help Jordan, but he also feels guilty for another reason. While Conrad talks with his doctor about Buck, Berger addresses an important issue with Conrad. While he looks for someone to assign the blame to, Conrad becomes frustrated and Berger explains to him that blame is not the moral of the story. He tells it as “[n]o one needs [him] to be Buck. It’s okay to just be [himself]” (Guest 224). Conrad has been trying to fill Jordan’s shoes ever since he left. He wanted to take on the responsibility of being a perfect son for his parents. Conrad knew a big task like this requires lots of hard work, and eventually, he just could not handle all the pressure anymore.
Conrad suffered from Post-Traumatic Stress disorder and Survivor’s guilt. In the beginning, we see that he was losing appetite, as he did not want to eat the French toast. He was re-experiencing flashbacks and nightmares of the boating accident throughout the movie. He had diminished interest in activities like he left the swimming team, which he really loved. He showed the symptoms of avoidance, did not talk much at the dining table with his family, was in his room most of the time, and he stopped hanging out with friends.
Markus Zusak’s novel The Book Thief is set in a time of misery and violence, with thousands suffering because of various reasons the readers are introduced to the story of a young girl whose life starts with insufferable difficulties and ends with it too. Throughout the novel we see many different personalities portrayed in characters who are all going through a difficult phase in their lives, we see how they deal with the obstacles thrown their way and how they control their emotions. Emotions are primarily a give away to a person's true thoughts and character, however, emotions can be hidden by a mask of false lies. People tend to conceal their emotions when it comes to unfortunate events, afraid to look weak most people live
Guilt. Experience. Death. Theodore Finch (“Finch”) and Violet Markey live in the small town of Bartlett, Indiana. Violet is portrayed as popular, pretty, and everything that Finch, who deals with constant gibes from peers who refer to him as “freak”, is not; however, much of Violet’s status is a guise hiding her true feeling since the death of her sister Eleanor. When the two teenagers meet for the first time on the ledge of the school’s bell tower, it is evident that they may not be so different after all. In this journal I will be questioning, visualizing, and connecting.
Emotions play a significant part in our daily lives, especially to our overall wellbeing whenever we share these experiences with other people. The ability to express and interpret emotions is an important skill that everyone can improve on that would greatly benefit their interpersonal communication. Our expressions accompany our emotions; they serve as windows that allow other people to know what we are feeling inside. There are several factors that influence how we communicate our feelings.
From the moment they wake up, people experience events that trigger certain emotions. How people react to these events may depend on that person feels during that event. In terms of whether our emotions control us or we control our emotions, I believe that to some extent emotions control us. Because we cannot change how we feel in response to certain stimulus, emotions control us. However, people have some control over whether or not they act on their emotions. Emotions at that given moment can influence our actions. If people can control their reactions, then to some degree we are controlling our emotions. However, the prompts raises several important questions. How can one’s emotions alter other ways of knowing such as perception or reason?