Not So Ordinary People
Every year, countless number of people attempt to commit suicide, but what you never hear about is the people that failed at doing it. One of these people is Conrad from the book Ordinary People written by Judith Guest. After Conrad’s attempted suicide, he struggles at first although, as the book goes on Conrad gets better and gets a more normal life.
Throughout the beginning of the book, Conrad was frustrated with how people weren’t treating him the way they used too. He also was not happy with how he did not get to make choices for himself (Such as the clothes that he could wear). But, as Conrad got better he realized through the help of Dr. Berger that he could make his own decisions. One of the decisions that conrad made was to quit the swim team. Although this may seem like a bad thing for Conrad to do, it actually showed how Conrad was better because he was able to make a decision that was strictly for himself and not to appease someone else. Dr. Berger also taught Conrad that it takes much more effort to hold stuff back and that he should do whatever he wants even if it looks bad “Forget how it looks. How does it feel?” (Guest 79). A prime example of this is when Conrad goes to the swim meet and fights Stillman. “The rough feel of cloth tearing in his hands as he holds on, shoving,pushing, and they go down together on the gravel” (Guest 179). Even though it would look bad, Conrad still fought him because it would feel good, and it showed how Conred was progressing because he was now showing emotion.
One of the hardest things for a person to overcome when they have a problem is denial. Although throughout the book Conrad is able to overcome denial and admit that he has a problem. Conrad shows that he knows that he has a problem when he decides to see Dr. Berger. “Call him at school. On your lunch hour” (Guest 13). Because Conrad is able to see a Doctor about his problems it shows that he is getting better, because if he is willing to see a doctor it means that he want to get better. A typical suicidal person stays to himself and has no contact