Dealing With Grief In James Joyce's Ordinary People

In Ordinary People the Jarrett family is stricken with grief. There is constant tension in the air as the family goes about the day, yet each person in the family does not speak about it. They each do not have emotional security with one another. There is a serious lack of human connection in the household. Any type of therapy or conflict management would have been extremely beneficial to the family. Conrad, Beth, and Calvin each have their own way of dealing with grief. They each use unhealthy methods when dealing with the pain. Conrad is mostly silent in dealing with his trauma while Beth, his mother, is more passive-aggressive. Calvin wants the best for his family but is oblivious most of the time to Conrad’s struggles. Beth is lost. It was as if she placed all of her love with Buck and it got buried with him when he died. She houses hostility
He is too hard on himself even for things that are not his fault. He blames himself for his brother’s death, he attempts suicide himself, he blames himself for his friend’s suicide, and he no connection to his family to talk things out. Dr. Berger is Conrad’s only true friend. As the film goes on he gets a lot closer with his father. At the breakfast table his father asks him a series of questions relating to his wellbeing. He uses silence as a natural defense mechanism and masks his feelings. If Conrad would have spoken what was on his mind it would have opened up doors for the future. While sitting alone Conrad is suddenly accompanied by his mother. They begin to have a normal conversation but at the slightest reference to Buck, Beth changes the subject immediately and they begin to talk over each other. As they get louder and louder Conrad barks because they were talking about a dog. His bark signifies a cry out for connection. He wants to feel loved and understood. He wishes to share his feelings but his mother is too