Ordinary people essay

A detailed Summary of Ordinary people essay

Everyday, people change their lives. All of the time they change who they are. People redefine their self-images everyday. You can change who you are for many reasons, may just want to be a different or better person. However, I feel relationships are the key factors in the way you are and the way you change yourself. Many people define themselves by their friends, family, or loved ones. In the book, Ordinary People, so many people affect Conrad. He tries to be who he thinks everybody wants him to be. That, however, did not work out for him. After trying to be a "Buck 2" the real Conrad tries to escape from the shell of Buck 2 to show the world who he is. Conrad goes through a self-destructive period to try to free him, and has to be committed. From that point on in the book, Conrad searches for his reel self. So many people change the way he thinks of his self. For example, the Girl that Conrad likes and dates named Jeannine has a very positive effect on the way Con looks at himself, his mother Beth, in his mind, hates him, and his father Calvin, really doesn't know how to handle the situation, but he tries his utmost to understand it and support Conrad.

Conrad first met Jeannine in September. Though their relati

"How's it going?" Pg. 84. This quote seems so irrelevant, but can mean so much to a boy. Because of his dad, Conrad always had somebody to talk to or somebody to listen to. Little things can mean so much when they come from somebody who cares. I have a feeling that if it weren't for his dad's encouragement, Conrad would not have gotten far. Every change that Conrad made Calvin was there to keep saying good job. If it weren't for his dad and his relationship, I don't think it would be easy for Conrad to get very far in his life. His self-image would stay the same.

Calvin was always there for Conrad though it seemed that Conrad didn't know it. In the beginning, he didn't know what he was supposed to think about the way his father always tried to make things easy. He almost took it in a negative way. He thought that he was just doing it for the crazy kid. His father was not ashamed of what was going on with Conrad and was not afraid to admit that there was a problem. At the party he was not afraid to admit that Conrad was seeing a psychiatrist like Beth was.

Calvin, Conrad's dad, handled the situations surprisingly well. For a man with such a lack of experience he stayed consistent to Conrad throughout the book. He was supportive of him the whole time and encouraged Conrad more than any of Conrad's family and friends. He, never having a father, didn't know how to react to Con's self-destructive ways, but stuck through it any way.

onship didn't blossom until February, they got to know each other in choir. Even then, Con was still shy around her and he tried to make every thing right for her. In the car she warned Conrad that she was not a good bowler and he replied, "

Some common words found in the essay are:
Jeannine September, Conrad Calvin, Conrad Jeannine, Mike Jen, Ordinary People, , Conrad Finally, Conrad Conrad, Girl Conrad, How's Pg, book conrad, paid attention, jeannine positive, conrad tries, positive effect, conrad conrad, buck 2, con jen, seeing psychiatrist, afraid admit,

Approximate Word count = 1146
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English