Character Analysis
(Avoiding Spoilers)
Grew Up... with his older brother Buck in suburban Chicago. Buck was a beloved member of the family and community, a star athlete and great sailor. Everyone looked up to Buck, and Conrad constantly felt overshadowed by him.
Living… back home after a long stay in a psychiatric hospital. Conrad recently attempted suicide, not long after his brother’s untimely death in a boating accident. Conrad was present during the accident, and survived as his brother disappeared under the boat. The guilt and depression that followed drove Conrad into the darkest places of his life, and he is only now beginning to find his way back out.
Profession… student. Conrad is in high school, but feels much older, emotionally speaking. He has already gone through a lot of heartbreak, and finds it difficult to return to a normal class schedule.
Interests… choir, Coca-Cola, and his friends from the psychiatric hospital. Conrad even admits that he misses the hospital, much to his friend Karen’s shock.
Relationship Status… single. Conrad takes interest in a young classmate, Jeannine. She is hopeful and cheerful and helps him take his mind off his depression. But she might not be quite sensitive enough for his needs.
Challenge… re-assimilating into normal society. To achieve this, he must first get back his footing at home with his family relationships. He has a lot of wounds that need soothing, especially in respect to his mother, Beth. He laments that his mother never visited him in the hospital, saying, “You would’ve visited Buck in the hospital.” She doesn’t seem to listen to Conrad, or really even care about his personal life, to the point that Conrad at one point feels the urge to bark at her like a dog to get her attention.
Personality… quiet, forlorn, and suicidal. Conrad is an extremely sensitive soul, weathered and wounded. Even his psychiatrist can’t seem to get a real emotional reaction out of him, but he sure is trying. If Conrad can actually get angry – actually scream – he might have a chance at ultimate catharsis.
Get to Know him in...
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Beth, Calvin, and their son Conrad are living in the aftermath of the death of the other son. Conrad is overcome by grief and misplaced guilt to the extent of a suicide attempt. He is in therapy. Beth had always preferred his brother and is having difficulty being supportive to Conrad. Calvin is trapped between the two trying to hold the family together.
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The novel that inspired Robert Redford’s Oscar-winning film starring Donald Sutherland and Mary Tyler Moore
In Ordinary People, Judith Guest’s remarkable first novel, the Jarrets are a typical American family. Calvin is a determined, successful provider and Beth an organized, efficient wife. They had two sons, Conrad and Buck, but now they have one. In this memorable, moving novel, Judith Guest takes the reader into their lives to share their misunderstandings, pain...and ultimate healing.
From the Trade Paperback edition.
