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Understanding Grief


            In China funeral rites and burial customs are determined by the age of the deceased, cause of death, status in society, and marital status. According to the Chinese, an older person should not show respect to a younger one. If the deceased is a young bachelor his body cannot be brought home, it is left in a funeral parlor. His parents cannot offer prayers for their son: being unmarried he has no children to perform these rites either. If a baby or child dies, no funeral rites are performed, as respect cannot be shown to a younger person: the child is buried in silence. Every culture deals with death in a different way. The movie Ordinary People throws us into the house of a grieving American family. .
             Conrad Jarret is dealing with the loss of his brother, Buck. He is wandering through life trying to cope with life without his beloved brother. He does not feel connected to his parents. Buck was the most favored son. Conrad feels alone and at one point tried to kill himself. He is then sent to a hospital where he is treated. He finds a girlfriend, Jeannine, who gives him a sense of self worth. Conrad is a very perceptive young man; he picks up on things that many teens do not. He realizes that his mother does not feel close to him and that they cannot talk. Conrad tries to talk to his mother many times and she rejects his attempts. .
             His mother, Beth, seems like a very heartless person who only cares about the outside appearance of her family. She is upset that she already lost her son and now her only son resorts to seeing a psychologist because of a failed attempt at suicide. She thinks that the town will talk bad about her perfect family because of it. She is angry at Conrad because he did not save Buck. She resents Conrad's healing. She will not go visit the psychologist because she is too worried that the town will find out. .
             Dr. Berger, the psychologist, helps Conrad find and express his emotions.


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