Ordinary People Movie Analysis

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Ordinary People depicts the struggles within a family after the loss of a member. The Jarrett family experiences a horrible loss. The eldest son, Bucky, drowns while on a boating trip with his younger brother, Conrad. The death of a child and sibling affects each person. Each individual’s familial role changes and these changes affect the family subsystem. The role of parent, spouse, and child and the relationships between them will be examined. On the surface, the marital relationship of Beth and Calvin Jarrett appears normal. Beth actively participates in her social circle. She attends parties for friends and functions at the country club. Calvin follows her suit and does what she expects. Calvin and Beth handle the social aspect of their marriage. As a couple they are not sharing in the grieving process. Beth’s inability to deal with the loss of the eldest child causes a strain on the marriage. Calvin tries to deal with his…show more content…
Calvin supports Conrad’s decision to seek help. Calvin fears losing his younger son. When Conrad attempted suicide it was Calvin who found him. Calvin visited him in the hospital while Beth was sick and then traveling Europe. Calvin tried to remain a constant source of support for Conrad. Despite his own feelings of grief and sadness, Calvin remains focused on his son. The end of the movie shows the father and son pair exchanging the sentiment “I love you.” These three little words are just what each needed to hear. The loss of a child is a tragedy for all those involved. Somebody loses a child, a sibling, a friend. Each person feels the pain and no one’s grief is worse than another. To survive such a hardship the family needs to stick together, helping each other and listen to one another. While it is hard to be strong during such a difficult time, ignoring the hurt and pain of those in need can cause other consequences down the
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