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Ordinary People: Style

Ordinary People: Style. By Judith Guest Source: enotes.com. Ordinary People Summary and Study Guide, enotes.com, Inc., n.d . Web. 3 Jan. 2010. Style in Ordinary People. Point of View Narration Plot Structure Tragic Flaw Conflict. Point of View.

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Ordinary People: Style

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  1. Ordinary People:Style By Judith Guest Source: enotes.com. Ordinary People Summary and Study Guide, enotes.com, Inc., n.d. Web. 3 Jan. 2010.

  2. Style in Ordinary People • Point of View • Narration • Plot Structure • Tragic Flaw • Conflict

  3. Point of View • The reader’s impressions of all the characters, including Beth, are filtered through the points of view of Conrad and Cal. • Their childhood experiences affect the way they view others, and their personal viewpoints prevent them from being objective observers.

  4. Both Con and Cal see Beth as distant. • Cal romanticizes the way he views Beth. • She isolates herself just as his mother did, but unlike his mother she does not abandon Cal. • Con feels slighted by his mother because he feels that she loved his brother Buck more. • Shifting between these points of view is an important part of the style of the novel.

  5. Narration • Guest uses a 3rd person narrator who is omniscient only with the characters of Con and Cal. • Since the narrative focus shifts back and forth, the reader gets the story only through the thoughts of either Conrad or Cal at any given time.

  6. Plot Structure • With only two exceptions, the chapters of the novel alternate between Con’s and Cal’s point of view. • The story starts in the autumn and ends in the spring with an epilogue in the summer. • The story begins in medias res.

  7. Tragic Flaw • Tragic events have already occurred before the story begins. • However, the real tragedy is the inability of the characters to cope with these uncontrollable events. • Cal wonders whether Beth has a tragic imperfection. • Does she lack the capacity to forgive? • Does her inability to forgive Con destroy her relationship with Cal?

  8. Conflict • The characters’ differing perspectives create conflict throughout the story. • The conflict between Conrad and Beth remains mostly under the surface. • Cal internalizes the conflict with his wife Beth • Beth accuses Cal of coddling Con, and Cal thinks she is cold and unforgiving toward Con. • This undercurrent of conflict is pervasive and ongoing.

  9. REVIEW:Aspects of Style • Point of View • Narration • Plot Structure • Tragic Flaw • Conflict

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