Point Of View Of Beth In Ordinary People By Judith Guest

In Ordinary People, the reader understands the character of Beth through the point of view of the characters Calvin and Conrad. This novel is written in the third-person omniscient point of view to connect between both Con and Cal’s thoughts and actions. The author, Judith Guest, focuses deeply on perspective. The book never presents us with thoughts, feelings, and impulses of the character Beth but is given thoughts about what Cal and Conrad think of her and through dialogue. Throughout the novel, the characters are gaining perspective on themselves and everyone around them. The experience’s that Con and Cal have been through affect how they view people and how they don’t see the big picture.

Because Beth is a perfectionist and wants everything to be perfect, this makes her mad when she is in Texas with Cal and she admits that Conrad's suicide attempt had hurt her. She admits that she will never forgive Conrad. She wants life back to the way it was before Buck's death and Conrad's suicide attempt. “That whole vicious thing! He made it as vicious, as sickening as he could! The blood-all that blood! Oh, I will never forgive him for it! He wanted it to kill me, too" (Guest 237). Beth is referring to

She has a hard time understanding that her perfect family is falling apart after Buck's death and Conrad's suicide attempt. “Beth is described as a perfectionist, and this perfectionism does not allow for forgiveness” (Telgen 268). Beth not understanding that her perfect family is falling apart is a cause as to why she leaves. Conrad has a hard time pleasing Beth because she has a hard time forgiving him. It is very difficult for him to satisfy his mother's pride in the family because it is falling apart. As he is starting to understand who Beth is and as he is starting to see things from his point of view he starts to realize why his mother acts in certain