The Theme Of Tragedy In Judith Guest's Ordinary People

When one is recovering from a tragic or life changing crisis, he or she can find it difficult to fall back into the swing of things. Some are guided by society, while others encounter obstacles on the road to recovery. In the novel, Ordinary People, Judith Guest portrays the struggles one can face in his or her everyday life, while trying to mend from a horrific event. After Conrad, the main character, loses his brother to a boating accident, his guilty conscience begins to overcome him. Blaming himself for the death of Jordan, Conrad attempts to commit suicide. He then spends the next four months in a hospital, meeting many people who he shares this similar experience with, like Karen. Although he sees a doctor, Berger, and seems to be recovering,

a constant reminder of the incident with Jordan is brought among Conrad by his guilt throughout the novel.

Guest utilizes the motifs of tragedy and guilt to express how negative influences impact Conrad’s emotional course taken to recovery.
When Conrad learns of a tragic event, he becomes mentally trapped in the present. After reading in the paper about the suicide of one of Conrad’s friends, Karen, he is sent into a panic. With confusion and shock overwhelming him, he cannot comprehend his own thoughts. That night, Conrad “[…] awakens to fear again; his mouth dry. For terror-filled seconds he doesn’t know if it is happening all over again. Or worse, that time has tipped backward and it is happening still” (Guest 214). This exposes Conrad’s inner emotions and feelings towards the incident with Karen. He believed she was in a stable position and that her condition was improving. These thoughts overwhelm Conrad with doubt because now he, himself, is unsure if he has progressed at all. He feels as though time is turning back and ‘it’ is happening again. This is a setback for Conrad because he has lost the ability to recognize the strength within

himself and is blinded from everything he has achieved since the incident. Not only does this episode make Conrad question himself, but the readers might be unsure about how they feel towards him. Feeling distraught and lost, Conrad seeks advice from Dr. Berger; someone he can talk to that will help him place things into perspective. During their conversation, the topic of Karen comes up. Berger reminds Conrad that, “[o]ut of every hundred, fifty are gonna try it again. Fifteen eventually make it” (Guest 226). Not only does this statistic help Conrad comprehend what the chances were, but it also shines some light on Karen’s role in this novel. Her purpose is to remind the readers that even though it seems as if Conrad is progressing, he has not yet made a full recovery. He seems better, just like Karen did, but that does not mean he never has second thoughts. All the influences that come into play, no matter how big or small, alter Conrad’s view on his decisions and recoup to his old life.
Like tragedy, guilt is another factor that delays Conrad from reaching the destination of his previous life.

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.

In order for him to move past this, Conrad must find his true self and recognize that the only person he has to be is himself. The longer he holds this over his head, the longer it will take to reach his goal. The guilt Conrad holds against himself is just one of many components that restricts him from entering his recovery zone.
When negative influences come into play, the path to recovery can be affected and altered, especially with factors like tragedy and guilt. With the unexpected death of Karen, Conrad is unsure about his own recovery, feeling as if he has made no progress at all. Her death helps the readers understand a possible outcome for Conrad, keeping in mind that he is not yet at his strong point. With guilt hanging over Conrad, he cannot forgive himself for the accident with Jordan. He must learn to be himself, not Buck, in order to make a fully recovery. Guest uses Conrad to demonstrate the hardships one must go through during recovery when they are being held back by themselves.