A Re-Reading of Judith Guest's Ordinary People in the Perspective of Beth Jarrett

The ‘ordinary’ American woman writer Judith Guest became ‘no more ordinary’ after the release of her first novel, Ordinary People, in 1976. This novel gained worldwide attention for its unique plot, which deals with the psychological struggle of a suburban family after a severely traumatic event. This novel is more about the rehabilitation of the protagonist, a 17-year-old boy coping with his mental illness and deals with the theme of family disintegration, mental health issues, adolescent development, and domestic relationships. Judith Guest narrates the entire novel from the perspective of Conrad and Calvin; however, this paper tries to bring Judith Guest’s woman character “Beth” to light in an attempt to recognize this character along with the other strongest female characters in literature like Hester Prynne, Janie Crawford, Jane Eyre, Wife of Bath, Celie and so on. The article deconstructs the novel from the perspective of Beth, who is physically attractive, emotionally strong, rational, and an absolute perfectionist in the novel, Ordinary People. Despite all domestic struggles, Beth's sensible, realistic and practical approach toward life helped her make a controversial yet compelling decision that attained her self-identity at the end of the novel. Therefore, this research paper is a re-reading of Judith Guest’s Ordinary People” in Beth Jarrett’s Perspective.