Ordinary People by Judith Guest rite of passage hero

A rite of passage hero is a character who changes or matures as a result of experience. In Ordinary People by Judith Guest, Conrad is a rite of passage hero who changes as a result of his recovery journey. This novel deals with the Jarrett family and Conrad’s attempted suicide/depression and his stages of recovery. Many people, such as his father and his psychiatrist, Dr. Berger, contribute to his recovery journey. Through many …

…which helps him to move forward and become involved with Jeannine, and this also then relates to his emotions through his making of these decisions. He expresses anger, pain, and grief which is something he was never able to do before. His improvements lead to the image of Conrad at the end of the novel as a person who is a more mature as a result of his efforts to change and grow through experience.