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Family Therapy: Alienation

The family in Ordinary People immediately evokes feelings of alienation. On the surface, the Jarretts are a picture of middle-class perfection, if one ignores Conrad's suicide attempt, which frames the drama in terms of family therapy. Imagining oneself as part of that family evokes a sense of dread at the prospect of being isolated even when the entire group is present to one another. The main effect of Bucky's death appears to have been to incite Beth and Conrad to withdraw from the world--he because of guilt, she because of anger. Conrad's withdrawal is more noticeable not only because of the suicide attempt but also because he does not seem to have the maturity to conceal his behavior behind the screen of social accomplishment and authority. That artfulness belongs to Beth, who may not even recognize her project of concealment; certainly she does not acknowledge the depth her anger toward Conrad until it bursts out of her at the golf course. Meanwhile, Calvin appears to be searching for some method of reconnecting with his wife and remaining son, as if he sees the possibilities of salvaging and rebuilding family life.

But it is obvious that he is isolated as well, unable to express himself, or perhaps not alert enough to discern the emotional distance between himself and his wife. What becomes obvious to the impartial observer--that Beth does indeed hold Conrad responsible for the favored son's death and that she never loved Conrad equally with his brother--is a fact that is opaque to Calvin until she reveals the truth in a moment of high stress. It is impossible not to feel that Beth wants to shut Conrad out altogether and that she would not miss him, an eternal reminder of who is not present, as she clung tightly to Calvin. That explains why she thinks of "us" not as a family but as a couple when she contemplates a vacation or any other activity.

The prospect of working with the family in a therapeutic cont...

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Family Therapy: Alienation. (1969, December 31). In LotsofEssays.com. Retrieved 09:25, March 29, 2024, from https://www.lotsofessays.com/viewpaper/2000898.html