Ordinary People Characters

Boy, InterruptedBeing in the hospital might be a nice alternative to going to high school, especially if it's just to have your tonsils out or something. There's no homework, and you get to eat ice...

Adding UpCalvin Jarrett. Batman. Harry Potter. What do they all have in common? No, Calvin Jarrett doesn't have superpowers. And yes, they all have been portrayed by hunky leading men in movies—b...

Building a MysteryWe don't know much about Beth. She's described by her husband as "a marvelous mystery" (4.1), but not even Sherlock Holmes or Scooby-Doo would be able to crack her case. For over...

Good BergerTV and film have a huge pantheon of fictional psychiatrists. Tony Soprano had Dr. Melfi. Will Hunting had Dr. Maguire. Even SpongeBob visited this snooty little yellow fish to wring out...

Slow and SteadyJeannine has it pretty easy as the new girl in school. She's definitely more Zooey Deschanel than she is the designated ugly friend. She's attractive and self-deprecating, interpreti...

Bro CodeRobin Williams as the Genie in Aladdin sang, "You ain't never had a friend like me." And while everyone would like a Genie for a friend, that's a little extraordinary for a book called Ordi...

The JerkEvery school has a guy who is so obnoxious and annoying that you have no idea how he has any friends. But he does. Kevin Stillman is that guy. He's rude, crude, and socially unacceptable. A...

Karen, OhPeople can make friends anywhere. At school. At work. At summer camp. And in Conrad's case, at the mental hospital. The problem is keeping these friendships going after you leave school, c...

Bizness PartnerRay is Calvin's business partner, but he's been up to more than just balancing the books. He's in the book to provide a contrast to Calvin and Beth's marriage. See, Ray once had an a...

Less Than PerfectSome people look like their dogs. And many people act like their parents. This is a recurring theme in Ordinary People. The parents, not the dogs, that is. Seeing Conrad's grandpar...