The movie Ordinary People is about the relationships between family members after a tragedy. After Conrad’s brother is killed in a boating accident, Conrad tries to kill himself, causing his parents to send to him a hospital for recovery. The movie begins with Conrad first coming home from the hospital. The story follows Conrad, his mother Beth, and his dad Calvin. Throughout the movie there is obvious tension from recent events but nobody will acknowledge it leading to each person to act out in various forms of silence and violence. When Conrad first arrives home from the hospital he immediately represses all his emotions and is overall numb. Anytime the subject comes up he displays silence and just answers that he is fine. He eventually begins talking to a Psychiatrist who gets him to show his emotions. This causes him to act out numerous times in violence. For example, when their family is taking a picture his father tries to get a picture of Conrad and his mother, Conrad then yells at his dad to give the camera to his mom. Instead of keeping all his emotions bottled up causing him to erupt like that he could of tried to …show more content…
talk to his parents more about how he was feeling. Another act of violence is after a swim meet when a guy is teasing him about his date. Instead of just brushing off the teasing he goes crazy and attacks the guy. Once again this is an example of how Conrad wasn’t truly mad at the boy but had kept his emotions so bottled up, being teased was the straw that broke the camels back. Conrad’s mom, Beth has the ideal image of a family and is embarrassed that hers is “dysfunctional” so she tries to ignore the problem and act like everything is perfect.
Numerous times she displays both acts of violence and silence. One act of violence is when she yells at Conrad for not telling her that he quit the swim team. She is embarrassed that she had to hear it from someone else that Conrad quit. Instead of lashing out at Conrad she could of tried to discuss why he quit the swim team and why he did not feel the need to tell her about it. One example of an act of silence is when she is in the kitchen and Conrad walks in. It is obvious Conrad wants to talk to her about something but she simply refuses and ignores him to answer the phone. Instead of ignoring the problem she could of created safety with Conrad to talk about his
problems. Conrad’s dad, Calvin is a successful businessman who truly tries his hardest to solve the problems within the family. He tries numerous times to connect with Conrad and talk to him but ultimately chooses silence and pretends nothing is wrong. Rather than ignoring the situation Calvin could try to recreate the lost safety between him and Conrad and talk to him about his problems. Another time after talking with the Psychiatrist he tries to talk to his wife about something that has been bothering him since their sons funeral. The wife tries to change the subject and instead of just going with the flow, Calvin could of tried using STATE to try to get his wife to talk to him. After the tragedy the Jerrets have a lot of crucial conversations to face yet none of them know how to deal with them which causes numerous acts of silence and violence within the family.
In the novel Ordinary People, by Judith Guest, many people affect Conrad. Three people that have an affect on him are his father, mother and therapist. Conrad goes through significant changes by the way he has been affected.
...ld have been furious. But he stayed calm and by doing that Conrad could trust him and knew he was a good person. The third piece of evidence is when Conrad wouldn’t tell Dr. Berger anything about himself, he didn't scream at him saying you're wasting your money or anything like that. He opened him up with techniques and stayed calm. Conrad wouldn't tell Dr. Berger much. He kind of just painted a vivid picture in Dr. Berger’s head. But dr. Berger didn’t get frustrated he kept working at Conrad calmly and soon saw the picture in HD. So By Dr. Berger stays calm at all times made Conrad feel safer and better, faster even when Conrad would scream and swear at Conrad Dr. Berger stayed calm and content. In conclusion Dr. Berger helped Conrad and Calvin a lot by treating them as family, Dr. Berger being there for him at all times, and Dr. Berger staying calm at all times.
Conrad Jarret is an eighteen years old white male who live with his parent’s Beth and Calvin Jarret in an upper middle class suburban in Chicago Illinois. He is a high school junior also part of the swim team. Within the Jarret family, Beth, Conrad and Calvin all have different problems. Beth is a perfectionist who is unaccustomed with tragedy. Conrad pursuit to find himself, while trying to please the people around him, his father Calvin is cautious about his son and his feelings. Conrad 's mother refuses to forgive him for his suicide attempt, she believes he did it in order to destroy her perfectly ordered life.
At first Conrad did not know who he was or what his purpose was, when he came home form the hospital. Con had no sense of direction because at the hospital there was an everyday routine that he got used to. When he came home he made up his own routine in the beginning. He tried to go back to what every thing was like before his decsion. But he was unable to. He was trying to take one day at time. One thing was true though "Things were so different at the hospital. People were, you know, turned on all the time. And u just cannot live like that. You cannot live with all that emotion floating around, looking for a place to land. It is do exhausting (55, Guest)." This quote is trying to say that at the hospital people were like machines. The staff told them what to do, when to do it, and how to do it. Outside the hospital you get to make your own choices.
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.
Conrad's psychological problems generated from the facts that he repressed his feelings and that he looked to others for approval. He hid all his feeling and emotions and judged himself based on what others saw and thought. When Miss Melon, Conrad's English teacher, asked him, "Do you want an extension?" Conrad's immediate response was "NO"(18). He rejected her offer of assistance because he felt that help took away from his dignity and self pride. Conrad internalized what everyone else said and did and judged himself based on this. Conrad thought about himself: "All his fault. All connections with him result in failure. Loss. Evil… Everywhere he looks, there is competence and good health… He does not want to contaminate, does not wish to find further evidence of his lack of worth"(116). Conrad looked at everyone else and concluded that everyone else was "ordinary" and that he was a problem. He was afraid that since he was not "normal," ...
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...
The anger and confusion alongside with a deep disappointment that her husband is just standing by using whilst this is going on all is proven on her face. Actually, now not even her face, we see primarily just her profile, however it is powerful adequate for us to comprehend what she is going through. The second when the officer goes from searching to assaulting, she right now stops speakme and we see her continuously closing her eyes, shaking her head, looking slightly downward, and maintain lower back silent sobs. She tries her first-rate to now not touch Officer Ryan and avoid his fingers as well and this shows the tension and discord between the two. When she is happy with a person, or in an intimate relationship with any one (Cameron) she turns her physique towards them and is no longer afraid to touch them. When she doesn’t know any individual and knows that they are going to do something towards her will she tries her first-class to withstand them, almost
Melinda desperately wanted to explain and rely on someone. Rachel showed indifference as she invited Melinda to the party and Melinda did something that she should not have, which could affect her potential high school status. After Melinda calls the cops at the party, nobody bothers to ask what’s wrong, not even Rachel/Rachelle, who was Melinda's best friend. The first interaction that Melinda had after the event was in the cafeteria with Rachel, where she whispers, “i hate you,” from where she is seated (5). Since the people involved are not even slightly curious as to why or what could have happened to make Melinda call the cops, she becomes alienated. Melinda later becomes friends with Heather, their relationship is based on using each other. Melinda uses Heather so she is not alone. While Heather uses Melinda, so she can help her complete activities to join the Martha’s. When you start relying on someone and you still get omitted, it doesn’t make you overcome the wound, in fact, it adds more injuries. Compared to Heather and Rachel, when Melinda meets Ivy and David Petrakis she starts opening up. David is a role-model as he is the only one who helps her speak up. David does not know what Melinda has been through, yet Melinda still went to him when she didn't want to speak for her suffragette presentation. He helps her but later tells her that,"The suffragettes were all about speaking up, [and she] can't speak up for [her] right to be silent." This connects Melinda to the women in the past, who spoke for their rights. In contradiction, Melinda stays silent for hers, which won't have as great an effect (159). Ivy is the first person to understand and agree with Melinda. She also thinks that Andy Evans, Melinda's assaulter is bad news. When Melinda realizes
Conrad asked his therapist “So what should I do now?” The therapists responded with information and advice “Recognize her limitations” etc. These were educational comments about the mother’s probable narcissistic character disorder which were intended so Conrad might begin to understand his own conflicts about her love Conrad’s focus was initially external when he then questioned ” you mean why she can’t love me”. The therapist responded to an internal psychological explanation aided by educational comments about the mother’s personality limitations.
Family is the fundamental group of people that hones each individual into a social being and trains each person into a being that complies with various changes that may occur in one’s life. It aids in developing a person’s skills and attitude in relating to other people. If not for the family, growing and developing one’s self is a difficult and an almost impossible task to accomplish. In the article by Joan Patterson, known as Understanding Family Resilience, it had highlighted various information and explanations of how a family responds and should opt to act during times of adversity, or also known as family resilience. It is defined by McCubin, H and McCubin, M. as “characteristics, dimensions, and properties which help families to be resistant to disruption in the face of change and adaptive in the face of crisis situations.” Since change occurs on a daily basis and is entirely inevitable, the trait of a family to be flexible in adjusting is necessary. Events that may trigger changes are various crises and challenges or internal and external forces. Such occurrences that arise and are experienced by the family may draw most families to become hopeless and disoriented. In Patterson’s work, a clear explanation and citation of various instances to prove that such misfortunate events that could lead to the disorganization of a family can be avoided and be used as an opportunity to further strengthen the relationship founded in the family.
Ah, love. Love is so often a theme in many a well-read novel. In the story, As I Lay Dying, one very important underlying theme is not simply love, but the power to love. Some of the characters have this ability; some can only talk about it. Perhaps more than anyone, Addie and Jewel have this power- one which Jewel, by saving his mother twice, merges with his power to act. As the Bible would have it, he does "not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth" (1 John 3:18).
For example, early on in the film, it appears that a rule has been implied in which the members of the family cannot discuss details of the funeral or what happened to Conrad following the incident. In addition, it lends to a larger frame, in which it appears that members of the family do not discuss feelings or emotions. Members of the family do not display overt emotions and keep family matters as private as possible. Nobody in the family yells or shouts nor uses profanity, except when Conrad attempts to break this pattern during a scene in the film when Calvin is asking for Conrad and Beth to take a picture side by side. The viewer can see how visibly uncomfortable and stiff mother and son are, and Conrad consequently has an outburst. Although he stuns those surrounding him, no one acknowledges the outburst. Beth instead asks whose hungry, a motif in the film that Beth uses to dissipate attention from difficult
Family dynamics are patterns in the relationships between family members. Every family has its own dynamics and there are very different from one another because of the many aspects that influence them such as the numbers of members in the family, the personalities of the individuals, the cultural background, the economic status, values, and personal family experiences. This paper will analyze the two different relationship patterns found in the poem “Elegy for My Father, Who Is Not Dead,” by Andrew Hudgins and in the short story “Everyday Use” by Alice Walker. By interpreting those two sources through Freud’s concept of family, the family environment and the relationships between the members will be analyzed to illustrate the ways family dynamics
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.