Ordinary People DQ's

Chapter 1
1.The novel begins with the line, “To have a reason to get up in the morning, it is necessary to posses a guiding principle.” What kinds of examples does the author give of “guiding principles”?
-A bumper sticker

2.What does Conrad’s room look like when he gets back from the hospital?
-All the posters were missing and it was painted blue

3.What is ironic about the fact that Conrad’s bumper sticker posters are all gone?
-The took away all the reasons for him to get up

4.What did Dr. Crawford do to prepare for his return to school and life? What was his advice?
-To always have a routine, and to allow himself to have bad days now and then.

5.What is Con’s physical appearance like? What does he notice in the mirror?
-His face is chalk white and plagued with a weird rash and he is waiting for his hair to grow out.

6.What does Calvin require that Conrad do today? Why?
-Calls the doctor to tell him how he’s doing

7.“They are people of good taste. They do not discuss a problem in the presence of the problem. And, besides, there is no problem.” Give the context of the quote and explain what it means.
-They don’t tell their problems because they try to seem perfect.

8.What is “Target Day”? Explain.
-One month to the day he has been home

9.How do the “May flies” relate to Conrad?
-It was the rash on his face.

10.How did Conrad define “faith” after his experience in the hospital?
-Getting the motions right.

Chapter 2
1.Describe Beth. What’s she like? What seems to be important to her?
-Her face is soft in the morning, flushed slightly rounded, her stomach is flat beautiful hair the color of honey.
How Conrad dresses

2.What does Beth think about Conrad’s clothes?
-He dresses like a bum

3. Why is it important to Beth that Conrad stops by the Lazenby’s after school on his first day back to school?
-To be courteous

4. What is Calvin Jarrett’s background? Why is it challenging for him to “be a father”? What does he think being a good father means?
-41, U.S. citizen, tax attorney, husband, father. He didn’t have a dad figure. Notice signs.

5. What are the “signs” that good father’s were supposed to look for according to Calvin?
-loss of appetite, sleeplessness and poor school performance

6. What other ways does Calvin talk about what it means to be a father? What was the vision that he had of his two sons?
-Responsibilities. Playing basketball and hanging out with friends.

7. How does Calvin’s view of being the “kid for the Evangelical Home” color his view of fatherhood?
-He was trying to become more of a better father.

8. What does the breakfast scene tell you about the family dynamics? Between Conrad and Beth? Between Conrad and Calvin? Beth and Calvin?
-They’re an ordinary family but all have different mindsets. Beth is about appearance and Conrad is worried more about his health.Calvin tries to be a good dad to Conrad but isn’t good at it. Calvin gives Beth what she wants.

9. What is the image of Conrad’s old self that everyone expects Conrad to be?
-He gets good grades, is a good swimmer, and is motivated

10. What’s different about Conrad after the hospital? Whose opinions do we hear as the reader?
-He’s 25 pounds lighter, pale, weary eyes. Calvin’s opinions.

Chapter 3
1.Why is Conrad stressed about Lazenby being late to pick him up?
-He doesn’t want his mom to be late for golf

2. What is the “gray disease”? Elaborate.
-gray is the color of failure

3.What did Conrad’s grandmother eagerly remind him of? How did Conrad feel about it?
–The strain his dad is in. He didn’t want to know about it.

4.What is the significance of “good taste” as it relates to the story, characters, and themes?
–all of his family members have good taste except Conrad

5.How does stillman treat Conrad? Give examples. How does Conrad respond?
-He doesn’t treat him good. Conrad ignores him

6.Describe Lazenby and stillman. What are they like? Personalities?
-They’re passive and motivated. They both like to swim and get girls.

7.What is Conrad’s opinion of Stillman? Divers?
-He is crude, good looking, and he easily gets girls.

8.How does Miss Melon tread Conrad?
-Well, and she gives him time if he needs it.

9.How does Conrad feel about making mistakes in the past? And now?
-He feels like he’s made too many mistakes and can’t make more.

10.Why would Conrad prefer “indifference to concern”?
-He would rather them act for real than for them to be fake and act like they care.

11.Why does con like chorus? What about chorus makes him feel secure?
-He feels like he belongs there. He can let his guard down because he’s comfortable.

12.What happens with Conrad’s swim coach? How does he treat Conrad? What does he as con?
-He asked him if he was on medication or had tranquilizers. He treats him like he’s less than what he is.

13.What is con’s interaction with his mother like when he gets home?
-He tries to have a conversation with her but she ignores him.


CHAPTER 4
1.What is does Cal mean when he says, “he emphatically does not own her” in reference to Beth.
-He has no control over him and she’s still a mystery

2.What is the real issue for Calvin when they are talking about Dr. Brandt’s diagnosis of Conrad? (hint: “blaming” the doctor is not Calvin’s issue).

-Dr. Brandt said Conrad was depressed but he didn’t believe him
3.What does Ray say to Calvin about Conrad?
-He asks him if he is going to swim

4.What comparison does Cal make about his family and Ray’s?
-Cal has boys, Conrad and a dead one. Ray has girls, one in college and one that is 7.
5.What does Cal mean when he says, “…no one knows what he believes – until it happens.”
- He believed that nothing could happen to him, but then Jordan died.

CHAPTER 5
1.What is Conrad’s first impression of Dr. Berger’s office?
-It was dark, dirty, and cluttered

2.Why is Conrad “…not easily charmed. Or fooled.”? What has experience taught him in regards to psychiatrists?
-They are just testing him

3.What does Conrad say that he wants to work on in therapy?
-to be more in control

4.What is Dr. Berger’s response?
-he asks who is worrying about him

5.What was different in the hospital?
-nobody hid anything there.

CHAPTER 6
1.Who is Arnold Bacon? What role did he play in Cal's life?
-A friend of his in high school. He was like a father to Cal.

2.How did Cal lose Arnold's favor?
He got married

3.Why was Clavin out-of-sorts on this particular day?
-it was his son's birthday

4.What does Cal mean when he says, "i am the kind of man- who hasn't the least idea what kind of man I am."?
-He doesn't know who he is, his mind wonders too much

5.What are some of Calvin's redeeming qualities?
-kind and organized

CHAPTER 7
1.Who is Karen? What's her history?
-A girl he met at the hospital

2.Why is conrad hurt by Karen?
-He came to see her but she can't stay long

3.What is Karen's perspective on getting better? What is true about her logic and what is faulty?
-She's the only one who can help herself. No one can really be there to help but at some extent she should want people to be there for her

CHAPTER 8
1.What does Conrad say about the Christmas trip to London?
He'll go if his mom wants him to

2.How does Beth attempt to capitalize on Conrad's reluctant agreement to take the trip?
-It's too late

3.What Cardinal Sin did Calvin commit at the party that night?
-He was drinking and told people Conrad was seeing a psychaitrist which was the worst possible thing to do.

4.What previous "sin" had Calvin committed before?
-drinking

5.What are Calvin's drinking habits like? Why does he say that he drinks?
-it's a nervous habit and he does it because lots of people do it.

6.Why won't Calvin sleep tonight?
-drinking condemns him to wakefulness

CHAPTER 9
1.Who is Suzanne Mosley? What happens to her in class?
-A girl who sits across from him, they’ve known each other since grade school. She starts to cry because she’s going to get in trouble by her dad because she failed the test and she thinks she’s dumb

2.How does Conrad respond to Suzanne’s dilemma?
-He tells her he can help explain it to her in study hall or after school one night

3.Describe the conflict in the locker-room.
-Stillman wants to know if Suzanne is easy and if he tells him Stillman will let Jarrett know about Pratt

4.Describe Conrad's dream.
-He walks into a metal cylinder tunnel which continues on but the dimensions begin shrinking and he has to crawl on his hands and knees and then he has to crawl on his stomach. He doesn't like this game so he begins to go backward and no matter where he moves he's touching the metal and the walls have pressed upon him and he cannot breathe.

5.What does Berger initially say about "dreams"? What does he say later?
-He doesn't hold much stock in dreams of any kind. He lied, he does believe in dreams especially his because they're so fascinating.

(200 Word Response)Describe the progression and what happens in Dr. Berger's and Conrad's session. What conclusions does Conrad come to?

Conrad begins talking more and tells Dr. Berger about his dream and how when he wakes up the blood in his veins tingle, going from hot to cold. His heart pounds painfully making him feel like he could shatter into a million pieces. Berger makes Conrad lie down on the floor to help steady the blood but Conrad says it doesn’t help, that he needs something like a tranquilizer. He tells Berger he feels nervous all the time and he can’t sleep. So Conrad comes to the conclusion that what’s bugging him and making him nervous is him not wanting to swim anymore because he doesn’t feel like he’s good and his timing is bad. He doesn’t want to quit though because he would look stupid to have to beg to swim and then quit again. Conrad doesn’t like the swim coach because he is a jerk, and he once told Conrad that he had a friend who had the same thing and was in and out of institutions since five years ago, but Conrad told the coach he wasn’t planning on going back. Berger told Conrad he just told him that because people feel like they have to say something because they’re stupid. He tells Conrad this is a problem that needs a good healthy solution.