Depression In Judith Guest's Ordinary People
Almost everyone goes through a sort of hardship at some point in their life. When in this period, people tend to look to their relationships for comfort and guidance. Relationships provide these individuals with a hand to hold onto when stumbling along a dark path of pain, confusion, and struggle. Ordinary People, by Judith Guest, showcases this very theme by utilizing specific relationships to help further the growth of her main character, Conrad Jarrett. Conrad’s relations with his girlfriend Jeannine and counselor Dr. Berger play an important part in his recovery and coping with his depression after a recent suicide attempt.Throughout Judith Guest’s Ordinary People , Jeannine and Dr. Berger are able to help Conrad become whole again by teaching
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Berger assist Conrad in his path to recovery by helping him learn how to accept his emotions. Conrad’s character struggles with allowing himself to feel without associating guilt and self-loathing for the lack of control that comes along with the intensity of the things that Conrad feels. Berger realizes this, explaining to Conrad the importance of emotion when he says, “depression is not sobbing and crying and giving vent, it is plain and simple reduction of feeling. . . people who keep stiff upper lips find that it’s damn hard to smile” (Guest 225). By explaining Conrad’s depression to him, Berger teaches him how to also move on from it. Now that Conrad knows that what he is feeling is simply because of lack of feeling, he can now focus more on his own emotions and accepting them instead of trying so hard to control them, eventually leading to his recovery. Jeannine, although not as direct with her actions as Berger, also teaches Conrad the importance of feeling. One particular example of this is when Conrad and Jeannine are sharing an intimate moment, and he describes it as feeling as if there is a”a [highway towards him] and he is on it, traveling with such force and speed, all his senses open again” (Guest 247). When in the presence of Jeannine, Conrad allows himself to feel intensely. Simply by being herself, she aids Conrad emotionally. In her presence, he is a more vivid version of himself, brighter, happier- because around her, he is finally comfortable with allowing himself to feel as strongly as he wants to. This kind of encouragement from Jeannine and Berger help Conrad on his road to
Berger assist Conrad in his path to recovery by helping him learn how to accept his emotions. Conrad’s character struggles with allowing himself to feel without associating guilt and self-loathing for the lack of control that comes along with the intensity of the things that Conrad feels. Berger realizes this, explaining to Conrad the importance of emotion when he says, “depression is not sobbing and crying and giving vent, it is plain and simple reduction of feeling. . . people who keep stiff upper lips find that it’s damn hard to smile” (Guest 225). By explaining Conrad’s depression to him, Berger teaches him how to also move on from it. Now that Conrad knows that what he is feeling is simply because of lack of feeling, he can now focus more on his own emotions and accepting them instead of trying so hard to control them, eventually leading to his recovery. Jeannine, although not as direct with her actions as Berger, also teaches Conrad the importance of feeling. One particular example of this is when Conrad and Jeannine are sharing an intimate moment, and he describes it as feeling as if there is a”a [highway towards him] and he is on it, traveling with such force and speed, all his senses open again” (Guest 247). When in the presence of Jeannine, Conrad allows himself to feel intensely. Simply by being herself, she aids Conrad emotionally. In her presence, he is a more vivid version of himself, brighter, happier- because around her, he is finally comfortable with allowing himself to feel as strongly as he wants to. This kind of encouragement from Jeannine and Berger help Conrad on his road to