Within the Jarret family, In Judith Guest's Ordinary People, Beth, Conrad and Calvin have different problems, which all still exist among present day people. Each individual's problem involves another member of the family, resulting in a new problem. Beth is a perfectionist who is inexperienced with tragedy, Conrad searches for himself while trying to please people around him, and Calvin is overcautious about his son. Although all three have different problems this novel depicts how one person's problems can affect the entire family. Beth's inability to forgive forces her son, Conrad, into living for others, and her husband, Calvin into obsession with his son's feelings.

Conrad's mother refuses to forgive him for his suicide attempt, because she believes he did it in order to destroy her perfectly ordered life. To begin with, Beth likes to believe that life is faultless so her family is forced to tolerate it...