Ordinary People

A detailed Summary of Ordinary People


"It is a skill we learn early, the art of inventing stories to explain away the fearful scared strangeness of the world. Storytelling and make-believe, like war and agriculture, are among the arts of self-defense, and all of them are ways of enclosing otherness and claiming ownership." This is a quote once stated by William Kittredge that can apply to many works of literature. In fictional literature, authors make up a story, which convey many themes about our world and help us to deal with the everyday challenges of life. This fictional storytelling has the ability to create self- defense for the readers who learn the message the author is trying to communicate. This quote applies in both the works of literature, Ordinary People by Judith Guest and On Discovery by Maxine Hong Kingston.

The novel, Ordinary People by Guest, is about a teenager boy who tries to commit suicide after his brother died in a boating accident. Conrad, the main character, feels that it is his fault his brother died, and therefo


re wants to kill himself. The book mainly deals with the recovery of Conrad and how this incident changed his life and the family he lives in. Through reading about Conrad's recovery, one learns how to deal with a situation like Conrad was in. This book makes you think twice about committing suicide because you learn to appreciate all the things life has to offer. One also learns, that it is not beneficial to bottle emotions up because it only hurts yourself. To deal with a situation like Conrad it is necessary to express all your feelings and communicate with the people around you. When there was no communication between Conrad and his mother, a sense of hate developed, even though it may have only been in their minds. Another important message the author tries to convey is that one must let go of the past and live for today. Conrad had a difficult time adjusting to his life after he returned from the hospital, but he was eventually able to accept what happened. He finally returned to his best friend at th

Some common words found in the essay are:
People Guest, Discovery Kingston, William Kittredge, , Ordinary People, ordinary people, author trying, Hong Kingston, deal situation conrad, deal situation, message author, lessons life, situation conrad, help deal,

Approximate Word count = 687
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English

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