Ordinary People
No family is perfect, we're all ordinary people. In the novel Ordinary People, byJudith Guest, Beth, a private woman, wife, and mother strives for perfection. After the death of one son and the near death of another, she builds feelings of hurt and denial. She denies her feelings and her family because it is her only way to cope with those feelings. Beth strives for perfection. Her life is like a Barbie doll's life, everything on a Barbie is perfect, from her looks to her personality. Barbie's clothing is what makes a Barbie look pretty and fashionable. Beth wears clothing and jewelry to show she has style which shows she is a pretty woman on the outside. "a sleeveless knit suit, the color of straw, a V-neck bordered in orange, a thin gold chain around her neck. All elegance and self-possession. So beautiful in every detail that men and women both look at her." (Guest 25) Her Barbie doll looks make her appear irresistible, like one that would be idolized by many people. Her need for control is evident because her appearance must be faultless, her hair must be nicely done and she must look younger than she really is. Beth takes good care of her skin, making sure that her face does not have any wrinkles. A well
Beth is silent about her feelings, Conrad can't tell her about his feelings without that sister-in-law also knows that Beth is a very private person, and tells Cal, "I mean her her to cope with dealing with the past. The connection with her son has also changed at whatever time she had come in? (Guest 191) Her home is filled with problems, not things at home to change, so she redecorates Conrad's room, after his suicide attempt, and everyone one will know that she was just putting on a show. Dealing with problems is appearance. In their community, Beth demands her family to maintain the illusion of her way to escape the problems that occur there. Her home isn't where Beth wants to be. she is, and expects her husband to make sure her son projects the proper image she wants getting rid of things from the past. Her need to cover things increase Conrad's Beth and Conrad are very distant with one another. They don't talk much at all. Beth has a hard time dealing with her problems, so she denies them. She needs sleeping in the living room. Beth is already in bed and Cal wonders why she didn't check Conrad, he goes up the stairs and sees her heading towards her room to tell her a lie just
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Approximate Word count = 1303
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)
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