In the novel Ordinary People, we see deterioration in the marriage of Calvin Jarrett to his wife Beth Jarrett. The novel begins by telling us about there son Conrad who is recovering in a hospital after his failure to commit suicide. The reason why Conrad attempted to commit suicide was because of the death of his brother Buck. Before Buck's death, their lives were all hunky dory but now that he is gone and after Conrad's attempt to commit suicide there lives would change forever.

As we develop Beth's character, we see that Beth does not like to dwell on the past, but rather she wants to move on with her life. On the other hand, as we develop Calvin's character, we see that he indeed does dwell on the past and he feels the need to talk about it to understand how his son Conrad is feeling...