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Ordinary People by Judith Guest. AN EXTRAORDINARY NOVEL ABOUT AN "ORDINARY" FAMILY DIVIDED BY PAIN, YET BOUND BY THEIR STRUGGLE TO HEAL. DAY ONE. Instructions.
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Ordinary Peopleby Judith Guest AN EXTRAORDINARY NOVEL ABOUT AN "ORDINARY" FAMILY DIVIDED BY PAIN, YET BOUND BY THEIR STRUGGLE TO HEAL.
Instructions • Each day you will be assigned 2 chapters of reading. It is your responsibility to keep up with the reading in order to participate in class discussions, partake in daily activities & take weekly quizzes. • While we will provide a brief summary of each chapter to highlight key points, it is essential that you read the assigned chapters each night. • Bring your OP book and notebook to class each day!!! • This power point contains valuable information & activities. Along with your daily journal, you will be responsible for writing your answer to each in-class activity in your notebook. • Please divide your notebook into two sections: JOURNALS (20 total) & ACTIVITIES (20 total). • Each Journal is worth 1 point (20 points) & each Activity is worth 2 points (40 points). This is a TOAL OF 60 Summative Points!!! • In the event of an absence, this power point is posted on my school webpage. Your task is to stay up-to-date with journals and activities each day. • Your notebook with all journals and activities will be collected at the end of the unit!!! Keep your notebook organized, please
Basic Plot Structure • The Jarrets are a “typical” American family. Calvin is a determined, successful father and Beth an organized, efficient wife. They had two sons, Conrad and Buck, but Buck recently passed away. • In this memorable, moving novel, Judith Guest takes the reader into their lives to share their misunderstandings, pain, and ultimate healing.
Searching for Identity & Forgiveness in Ordinary People • THEMES: Identity, Forgiveness, Death * This is a sensitive topic, as some of you may have had someone close to you pass away. Please be respectful of those around you. • When we are young, we live life by the day. • In our preteen and teenage years, the process of self-discovery begins. For some people, this could take years. For others, it could happen within a week. • No matter how people discover themselves, who they really are, and what they stand behind, everybody goes through it. • The characters in Ordinary People struggle through death, guilt, and a lack of understanding, but Calvin, Beth and Conrad eventually discover their true identities.
Getting Used to the Writing Style • One of the ways in which Ordinary People is unconventional is its continual use of present tense and stream of consciousness writing. • Guest writes the novel as though the reader is there as the action is going on, watching the events occur as they happen. • This style has several advantages: • It is perhaps better suited to such a highly psychological novel, which frequently dips into a stream-of-consciousness narrative told through the eyes of Conrad and Calvin (these first-person segments are usually denoted by italics).
Present Tense & Stream-of-Consciousness Writing • Guest may feel that present tense is better suited to exploring the role of the past within the present. • Because so many of the events of the novel are strongly influenced by events of the past, most notably Buck's death, present-tense narrative may allow Guest greater flexibility in her moves between the past and the present of the novel. • Also, present-tense prevents the novel from feeling dated. Although the events of the novel occur in the 1970’s, present tense enhances the universal feeling of the novel by making it seem like the events are currently occurring.
Guest is skillful at using her unique writing style to show rather than tell the reader. • For instance, rather than stating that Conrad has become a bad student, Guest uses present-tense mode to put the reader inside his mind: "A thousand-word book report due Wednesday in English lit. The book has not been read. A test over the first six chapters in U.S. History. A surprise quiz in trig, long overdue." • The reader sees Conrad's academic situation from Conrad's perspective, and we infer from this information that Conrad does not get much work done. • This is a more elegant style than if Guest were to tell us flat-out that Conrad does not do much schoolwork.
Helpful Hints: • While reading any novel, it is usually a good idea to pay attention to the title. Notice the lengths Guest goes to make everything in this book "ordinary." The Jarretts live in an ordinary suburb. The novel opens on an ordinary day. The friends of the family appear to be ordinary people. And, from an outside perspective, the Jarrett family has been a particularly extraordinary family since the death of Buck and the suicide attempt of Conrad. • Guest thus contrasts the mundane side of American life with dark, morbid undertones. There is a long tradition of this technique in American literature. Guest, like many authors before her, develops a type of suburban gothic, in which the most common people are beset with profound tragedies and psychological concerns.
Getting to Know the CHARACTERS Conrad Jarrett: • The son of Calvin and Beth, he is the novel's protagonist. About 18 months before the novel begins, he was involved in an accident with his brother, Buck, an accident which left Buck dead. A year later, Conrad tried to commit suicide but failed, forcing him to spend time in hospital. At the beginning of the novel, he has been out of the hospital for a month. He is trying to get his life back on track, but he feels little purpose in life and no motivation. He begins to see Dr. Berger to help him recover from the traumatic events he has experienced. Over the course of the novel, he begins a steady relationship with Jeannine Pratt and rebuilds some of his old friendships.
Getting to Know the CHARACTERS Calvin Jarrett The father of Conrad, Calvin is a natural listener. He tends to blame himself for most negative things that occur in his family. He is 41 years old and works as a tax attorney, a prestigious position for a man who grew up in an orphanage. He believes that there is a serious lack of communication between him and his wife, which strains their relationship. He spends most of his time worrying about his son.
Getting to Know the CHARACTERS Beth Jarrett - The wife of Calvin and mother of Conrad, Beth spends most of her time playing golf and working around the home. Although she is troubled by the horrible events she has experienced with her sons, she wants to move on without dwelling on the past at all, an attitude that brings her into conflict with Calvin, who thinks that the family needs to talk through the past.
Getting to Know the CHARACTERS Jordan "Buck" Jarrett - Buck only appears in flashbacks. He was the oldest child of Calvin and Beth. He died in a boating accident, an event for which Conrad has never forgiven himself. Like Conrad, he was on the swimming team, and he shared many friends in common with Conrad. Dr. Berger - A psychiatrist in Chicago with whom Conrad begins meeting once a week in an effort to gain more "control." Joe Lazenby - A friend of Conrad's and member of the swimming team. He drives Conrad to school each day. He and Conrad have a falling out during the course of the novel, but they manage to mend their relationship. Kevin Stillman - A member of Lazenby's carpool. Stillman can be very cruel to Conrad. He is a member of the swimming team as well. Jeannine Pratt - A new student at Lake Forest, she is in the school choir with Conrad. She and Conrad become close friends and begin to date seriously, forming a deep relationship by the end of the novel. Karen Aldrich - One of Conrad's friends from the hospital. They meet in a diner early in the novel to catch up on old times. Towards the end of the novel, Conrad learns that she has committed suicide, and the news sends him into shock.
Stop, Read & Think Tonight you will read Chapters 1 & 2. It will take a while to get used to the writing style, so don’t get frustrated! Keep in mind the concepts & themes we’ve discussed thus far: An “Ordinary” Family Forgiveness Guilt Identity Stream of Consciousness Present-Tense Writing Setting – north shore Chicago, 1970’s Keep in mind the characters we’ve discussed thus far: Conrad Jarrett (high school boy who just lost his brother & tried to commit suicide) Calvin Jarrett (successful father who just lost his son, Buck) Beth Jarrett (up-tight mom who just lost her son, Buck)
Homework Read Ch. 1 & 2 tonight!!!
Activity #1: Pre-Reading Activity • Individually select a photo, picture, or advertisement from the box-o-magazines. This picture should clearly define “FAMILY”. • Can’t find a picture? Paste some people together to create your idea of FAMILY. • Still can’t find one? Draw your definition of FAMILY.
Activity #2: Discussion ?’s: • Why have you selected this clipping as a representation of ‘family’? • What does the term ‘family’ mean to you? • What does it mean to be ‘ordinary’? • What perception do you have of north shore Chicago (Evanston/Lake Forrest)?
Chapter 1 Title: Conrad’s Struggle to get back to “Reality” Lake Forest High School
Chapter 1 Summary & Important Notes • The novel begins with the line, "To have a reason to get up in the morning, it is necessary to possess a guiding principle." • Calvin is very concerned about Conrad's well-being after his suicide attempt. Every move or motion Conrad makes, Calvin is there to question it or question Conrad's health. • Conrad, on the other hand, is focusing on recovering from the incident. He is mainly focused on recovering from the mental damage he has caused himself and trying to begin his new life. "But he cannot relax, because today is a Target Date. Tuesday, September 30. One month, to the day, that he has been home. And what are you doing Jarrett? Asking weird questions like From what? Toward what? Questions without answers. Undermining. A serious affliction" (4).
CHARACTER ANALYSIS • CONRAD: • After coming out of the hospital, Conrad is forced to relearn how to deal with every day situations. • Learning how to establish routines and manage his own life is Conrad's first step on his way to recovery and self-discovery. • BETH: • Beth deals with Conrad's suicide attempt in a very different way; she is very enclosed and in a constant state of denial. • This is just the first of many actions until she reveals her true colors: "Will you talk to him this morning? About the clothes. He's got a closet full of decent things and he goes off every day looking like a bum, Cal" (7). • In this quote, Beth reveals that she is timid about talking to Conrad herself, therefore she asks Calvin to do it. All through the book, she also worries more about how Conrad looks to the public (his clothes) for fear of her own reputation than she cares about Conrad's well-being. Their family enters this long haul in a constant state of secrecy and denial. As the book goes on, things start to unravel.
Chapter Two: Self-Discovery • While dealing with their first major struggle, death, Calvin (Conrad's father), Beth (Conrad's mother) and Conrad begin their road to self discovery. They all deal with Conrad's suicide attempt in different ways. • Calvin is the most concerned person about Conrad. "How's it going? School. Swimming. Everything okay?" "Yeah, fine. Same as yesterday." "What does that mean?" A faint smile. "It means you ask me that every day." "Sorry." He smiles, too. "I like things neat." (11)
Ch. 2 Review • We begin to learn more about Conrad’s parents, Calvin & Beth, in this chapter. Beth seems to be cold and “perfect”. Calvin is concerned about being a good father to Conrad. He grew up in an orphanage and has no memory of his father. He strives to be the best father and does not want to put too much or too little pressure on Conrad. • "Responsibility. That is fatherhood. You cannot afford to miss any signs, because that is how it happens: somebody holding too much inside, somebody else missing signs” (Guest 9). • Questions: • Who is Dr. Crawford? • What does Cal insist that Conrad do?
Activity #3: Stop & Think • Thus far, how does your family compare to Conrad’s? How well do you understand what is going on between Beth and Calvin? • Complete a Venn Diagram to show the similarities and differences: My Family: Conrad’s Family:
Activity #4: K W L KNOW • What do you already know about the Jarret family? Create a list of at least 5 facts. WANT TO KNOW • What do you want to know about the Jarret family? Create at least 5 questions that you hope will be answered by the text. LEARNED • What have you learned thus far, specifically about Conrad and Calvin’s relationship…or Conrad and Beth’s? Create at least 5 facts.
Stop, Read & Think Homework: Read Chapters 3 & 4
Chapter 3 Review Ch. 3 - "In the early morning, the room is his enemy; there is danger in just being awake. Here, looking up, it is a refuge” (Guest 14-15). What does this quote say about Conrad’s state of mind? Answer: Conrad’s father is worried about him, which makes his own fear seem more real and justified. He wishes that he could belong to the house again. • We learn that Conrad is a Junior in HS, but all his friends are seniors. Con never took final exams last year due to his hospital stay. We meet some of his friends, Lazenby, Stillman & VanBuren who are obnoxious, but ordinary HS boys. • Con’s teachers are worried about his success in school. His swim coach asks about his shock treatment in the hospital. How does Conrad respond to this? • After school, Conrad has a brief & awkward encounter with his mother. He then retires to his room. "A dull, roaring sound in his ears as he doubles over, arms crossed, pressed against his waist. His stomach tightens, as if to ward off a blow” (Guest 24). Have you ever felt this way after a bad day or after speaking to someone?
Ch. 4 Review • Beth wants to go to London for Christmas, but Cal wants to stay home. Cal is reminded of how beautiful & attractive Beth is (surface-level significance). • What happened last year when the family went to Florida? Could this be part of the reason why Cal doesn’t want to go to London? • "Riding the train gives him (Cal) too much time to think. Too much thinking can ruin you” (Guest 31). What is the significance of this quote? • Cal recalls Conrad's diagnosis: Severe Depressive Episodes: High Risk of Suicide. He wonders if Con is cured, and thinks about Jordan (Buck), his older son, who is now dead. He feels guilty, but we as a reader know it’s not his fault. "It has to be his fault, because fault equals responsibility equals control equals eventual understanding. . . So where is the fault? Is it in believing that the people you love are immortal? Untouchable?“ (Guest 34).
Activity #5: Anticipation Guide Directions: Before reading chapter five, place a A for agree or a D for disagree in the you column next to each statement. Discuss your choices in small groups, and explain why you checked the statements that you did. Then we will read Ch. 5 tonight. Tomorrow (after reading the chapter), you will mark statements in the Conrad column that Conrad agrees or disagrees with. YOU Conrad ____ ____ Any doctor should be able to help in an emergency. ____ ____ Humor helps most situations. ____ ____ Talking openly helps fix life’s problems. ____ ____ When we are in control of our lives, everything is fine. ____ ____ A psychiatrist can help sort out thoughts and emotions. ____ ____ It is better to hide behind our problems than to talk about them or fix them.
Activity #6: Making Connections • Choose either Beth or Calvin and compare (find similarities) or contrast (find differences) this character to your own mother or father. Create a list of either 10 similarities or differences. • Describe your relationship with your parents. Are you able to empathize with Conrad thus far? • What experiences do you have with family members or friends similar to Conrad’s? • What would it be like to be in Conrad’s position? • So far, how do Calvin, Conrad, and Beth cope with their problems? Provide examples for each character.
Stop, Read & Think Homework: Read Chapters 5 & 6 QUIZ TOMORROW (Ch. 1-5)!!!
Ch. 5 Review • Conrad meets his new doctor, Dr. Berger. He agrees to skip swim practice so he can see Dr. Berger twice a week. Con decides Berger’s not all that bad, since he can make jokes about the difficult things. • Conrad admits to Dr. Berger that he wants to be in control. Why? • Conrad feels that once he’s in control, people can quit worrying about him (he wants independence & freedom).
Ch. 6 Review • By now you should have noticed the narrative style of the novel, which alternately changes perspective between Calvin and Conrad. • Calvin is distracted by memories of his fight with Beth the previous night over the possibility of a trip to London. He remembers that Beth criticized him for asking too many of the wrong questions, and he realizes that he is primarily a listener (Beth runs the show!). He’s starting to think that he should have listened to his mentor back in college and not have gotten married so young. • Calvin thinks back to the time when he learned of his mother's death. He remembers that the experience was the first time the reality of death was made apparent to him, and he thinks of the loss he felt when his mentor stopped taking an interest in him after the marriage. • He realizes that he "hasn't the least idea of what kind of man" he is, and he does not know how to deal with grief. He suddenly realizes that the date is November 5, the birthday of Buck, who would be 19 years old that day. Which character is struggling more – Conrad or Calvin? Why?
Activity #5: Anticipation Guide Directions: Mark statements in the Conrad column that Conrad agreesor disagrees with. YOU Conrad ____ ____ Any doctor should be able to help in an emergency. ____ ____ Humor helps most situations. ____ ____ Talking openly helps fix life’s problems. ____ ____ When we are in control of our lives, everything is fine. ____ ____ A psychiatrist can help sort out thoughts and emotions. ____ ____ It is better to hide behind our problems than to talk about them or fix them.
Activity #7: Agree/Disagree Write an “A” for Agree or a “D” for disagree: • Going for outside help for a family problem is a violation of a family’s privacy. • Any kind of communication is always good for a family. • Avoiding problems is a way of handling them. • Anger should always be avoided because anger causes fighting. • The past is behind, there is no need to discuss it. • The benchmark of a good relationship is whether a person can make another happy. • Profanity is a natural part of any disagreement. • People tend to forget harsh words spoken in anger. • An argument should be debated until it is resolved; time apart only further alienates the individuals involved. • It’s OK to quit a team activity, even if others are depending on you.
Activity #8: Hide & Seek - Analyzing Beth Look for details about Beth which are NOT revealed: • What actions leave her feelings hidden? • What did you find out about her? • What doesn’t make sense to you about her actions or her verbal responses? Look for what is hidden!
Activity #8 (Continued) Hide & Seek – Conrad & Calvin Gather details which reveal intimate thoughts, fears, self-doubts and attitudes which Calvin shows to the world as a mask to his true feelings (See Conrad’s as an example): CONRAD: Wants to be in control Uses humor with grandmother about his haircut Feels he is an “anxious failure” Avoids his mother and feels she does not care about him. Uncomfortable around his friends Only safe place at school is in choir Does not want people’s concern Feels encounters with mother are physically painful Fights panic attacks Tells Berger he wants “control” CALVIN:
Homework: Read Ch: 7-8 Reach Ch. 9-10
Ch. 7 Review • Conrad meets his old friend, Karen, who was in the hospital at the same time as him. They make light conversation, each remembering how close they were in the hospital. Conrad tells Karen about school and swimming, and he mentions that he is seeing a psychiatrist. Karen tells him not to get down, and Conrad protests that he is not “down”. • After Karen leaves, Conrad regrets not inviting her to a swim meet, and thinks of himself as a "screwed-up bastard." He is obviously upset by the way things went, and as he leaves, he thinks to himself, "Okay Karen we'll see you around who needs you anyway who the BEEP needs anybody?“ • What does Conrad’s reaction revel about the way he feels about Karen and himself? • Chapter 7 shows us two sides of Conrad's personality conflicting with one another. On the one hand, he does make an effort to reach out to others. It was Conrad, after all, who invited Karen out to the diner. He also remains his usual joking self. But when Karen announces she must leave, Conrad becomes particularly insecure, thinking that Karen is not interested in him as a person. He thinks that she would not want to go to one of his swim meets. He leaves with the resolution that he doesn't need anybody. These glimpses into Conrad's mind are becoming deeper and more frequent: he is not just the nice boy struggling to get up for school in the first chapter. We are beginning to see his darker and violent side, which is closely tied in to the highly vulnerable facets of his personality. After the evening does not go as he had hoped, for instance, he lashes out inside his own mind against all people, and Karen in particular. Conrad is clearly troubled and depressed, but those two aspects are both contained within him; they do not emerge.
Ch. 8 Review • Calvin realizes that he is drinking more and more frequently because the alcohol helps him deal with his problems. Conrad and Calvin continue to struggle with maintaining a normal conversation. Calvin is secretly hesitant to leave for a party because he cannot help feeling worried about leaving Conrad alone. • At the party, some of the guests ask about Conrad, but Beth answers their questions in a flat fashion so as to reveal nothing about her son. After dinner, however, the guests question Calvin more about Conrad, making him uncomfortable. Calvin tells them that Conrad has been seeing a psychiatrist. Suddenly Beth interjects and tells Calvin that it is late, and they must leave. Calvin senses immediately that Beth is angry that he told the guests about Conrad. Beth says that his outburst was "in the worst possible taste" and a "violation of privacy”. Why is Beth so upset? Does she have a right to be mad? • When they return home, Cal checks on Conrad, who is asleep in his room. Calvin notices the scar on Conrad's wrist from the suicide attempt, and he thinks that Conrad has too high of expectations for himself. He is worried that Conrad may feel like a failure if final exams are difficult this year. • In this chapter we see that there is a playful side to Calvin's and Beth's relationship. At times, in fact, it may even seem that the two have no problems. In the car on the way to the party, for example, they appear to be a happily married couple. In fact, Beth seems to forget many of the problems related to her son when she is away from the house going somewhere else. However, we see also that she is a very private person. She immediately leaves the party when Calvin tells the others that Conrad is seeing a psychiatrist. Beth is obviously deeply concerned with appearances and the impression her family makes on other people. Calvin even notices at the party that Beth appears always to be cool and collected. She seems to have a dual personality--one for social occasions and one for private ones.
Ch. 9 Review • We see Conrad go through an “ordinary” day at school – takes a Trigonometry quiz, helps another student feel better about her bad quiz grade, gets upset with his ‘friends’ for making fun of the girl he was talking to, etc. • At night, Conrad thinks about how he can control his anger when his ‘friends’ taunt him at school. He is starting to WANT to learn how to control his emotions. • Conrad falls asleep, but has a terrible dream where he is in a shrinking tunnel with a light at its end. What might this nightmare be a representation of?
Ch. 10 Review • Conrad meets with Dr. Berger, who assures him that his nightmare doesn’t mean anything. Berger has Con lie on the floor to clear his mind, and Conrad confesses that he does not want to swim anymore because he is not good at it and he no longer likes the other people on the team. Conrad also confesses that he is scared to quit because of the negative image it will produce. He dislikes Coach Salan because of his insensitive comments about the shock therapy. The therapy session, however, ends before Conrad can reach resolution. Why do you think Conrad really wants to quit the swim team? • Later, Conrad overhears Stillman criticizing Conrad for being a "flake" and tells Lazenby to stop always including Conrad. Conrad decides he has heard enough and goes to Coach Salan to announce his decision to quit the team. Salan is clearly disappointed, and he says that once Conrad quits, he cannot come back. Conrad doesn’t tell the guys he quit the team, and he refuses their offers to hang out. • Conrad goes up to his room and falls deep into thought. He believes that everything in his life is excessive. He dreads the night because he is unable to sleep. He suffers serious insomnia, and sometimes thinks that he tried to kill himself just so that he could finally get some sleep.
CHAPTER 10: Read the following excerpt (Chapter 10, page 82) & discuss the significance of this passage: More laughter and he does not wait to hear the rest, but turns abruptly, heading back up the stairs. Nothing touches him on the way, not even the air in the hallway. Salan is sitting where he left him, his head still bent over his clipboard. He listens, his mouth a taut line, as Conrad explains. That it is something he has been thinking about for a long time, and he is sure, now, he knows he is doing the right thing. At last, he says, “Jarett, you gotta be kidding me. I don’t get it. I excuse you from practice twice a week so you can see some shrink. I work with you every damn night at your convenience, now what the hell more am I supposed to be doing for you?” … “A bright kid like you,” Salan continues, “with every thing going for him. I don’t get it. Why do you want to keep messing up your life?” He says carefully, “I don’t think it’ll mess up my life if I stop swimming.” Stay calm stay calm this is not a spastic leap this is a well-thought-out sane and sensible decision. A real solution to a real problem. Salan says flatly, “Okay. This is it. You’re a big kid now, and actions have consequences. I’m not taking you back again. You remember that.” F-ing swell I’ll remember all right. Aloud he says, “No, sir. I won’t ask you to, sir.”
Ch. 11 Review • Calvin begins to look closely at the character of his wife. He reflects on the streak of perfectionism in her, with which he no longer identifies. He has decided that it is chance, and not order, which rules life. • Calvin and Beth have agreed to buy Conrad a new car for Christmas as a means of cheering him up and to give him independence. Calvin knows that he would be willing to do anything to make his son happier. He then ponders the problem of illusions versus reality. He recalls a conversation he had once with Ray's wife after she learned that Ray had cheated on her with a secretary. Calvin was told that people prefer illusion to reality. Calvin remembers how strongly Ray regretted his actions but also how Ray and his wife managed to heal their marriage. They are not a family of illusions, he thinks. Is this a correct assumption? • Conrad arrives home and announces that he got an A on his trig quiz. Calvin is especially pleased, not so much that Conrad did well academically, but about the fact that Conrad is proud of his accomplishment. Conrad is starting to care about his success. Calvin reflects that he and his family are "ordinary people"; that is the only thing that is "permanent."
Ch. 12 Review • Ch. 12 – After quitting the swim team, Conrad fills his time by shopping for Christmas gifts. He has not yet told his parents he quit the team; he does, however, tell Lazenby that he quit. He decides that Lazenby’s not all that bad since he wrote him a letter while he was in the hospital. He then tells Lazenby to leave him alone, and walks away trying to convince himself that the guys were never his friends, only Buck's. • In a session with Berger, Con says that he wouldn't tell his mother about quitting the swim team since they don't connect at all. Con tells Berger that he doesn't feel anything new--that he doesn't feel anything at all--and Berger challenges this. He says that Con is mad, but has been refusing to get angry, or let it out. "You go through it, you sort it out, you throw some of it away. Then you stack up the rest, nice and neat. Next time it won't be such a big deal”(Guest 100). Con says he doesn't have the energy to let it all out, but Berger tells him it takes a lot of energy to hold it in. He shouldn't be afraid to feel, even if it feels bad. What are some things Conrad can do to let out his anger? Is it better to feel nothing, or to go through the pain of letting yourself feel? • Con runs into Jeannine Pratt after school one day; she compliments him on his singing (although he takes it as criticism because she should not be able to hear his voice above the others), and then thinks about what praise from her means, since she is one of the best singers. He asks her if she wants to have a Coke with him, and as they are walking, he worries about where he'll take her and what they'll talk about. They are both nervous at first, but when she voices that nervousness and tells him it's always hard the first time you talk to somebody, he realizes that means there will be a second time, and they both loosen up and talk about lots of things. quite easily. She has to be home at 4:30 to let her brother in the house, and she asks Con if he has siblings; he says no. As he walks away, he stops to look at a model airplane in the window of a travel agency, which reminds him of a time that he skied with Buck. He waits for the memory to be painful but it is actually pleasant and warm for the first time. He walks home in peace. How is this scene an example of a healthy Conrad?
