Ordinary People, Rolnick

Ordinary People by Judith Guest is an enticing novel about coping with hardships.  Conrad is the main character who suffers from depression after losing his younger brother, and his father and mother, Calvin and Beth, struggle to maintain their familial bond in opposing ways, as it is breaking.  With the help of a psychiatrist, Conrad and Calvin work towards healing, unlike Beth who leaves at the end of the book.  Link to more plot: http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/ordinarypeople/summary.html

With Ordinary People’s emphasis on the “average” human being, and how tragic events can happen to these ordinary people, I read the novel as if I was a part of Conrad’s family. Guest’s sophisticated writing method of putting the reader in Conrad’s shoes using relatable situations that the reader would understand, is effective.  Guest writes in Conrad’s perspective, “In the early morning, the room is his enemy…He imagines himself safely inside; in bed, with the covers pulled up.  Asleep” (14-15).  Because it is a universal feeling to wish that one is “in bed, with the covers pulled up” in the early morning, the reader imagines himself as Conrad, and will then imagine himself as Conrad when Conrad deals with depression.  This writing tactic creates for a better understanding of the novel, as well as a more enjoyable reading experience.  Also, the author writes in third person limited, alternating focus on Conrad and Calvin, emphasizing each one’s depth as a character and providing for greater analysis of the two.  I enjoyed Ordinary People, as it made me feel closer to tragedy as well as making me appreciate my younger sister and my family’s state.  Judith Guest’s style of writing is an interesting one, and I would recommend this book to anyone looking to broaden his knowledge of different writing tactics or looking improve his or her own writing skills.

Poetry:

It Could Be Me.

Could it be you who’s fate this is true?

It couldn’t be me, can’t you see?

I’ve been so good, well as good as a human could be.

How will I deal with these feelings so glum?

I’ve faced the fact that my life is now humdrum.

Should I end this pain once and for all?

Because life itself is starting to make my skin crawl…

But I can’t and I won’t, that’s not what Buck wanted.

But did he want me all my life, to feel awfully haunted?

I don’t care, I can’t do that to my mom and especially my dad.

After my therapy I’m feeling better, just a tad.

Accept and move on, that’s what we all must do.

We’re people, we’re ordinary, oh if Buck only knew…