No family is perfect, we're all ordinary people. In the novel Ordinary People, by
Judith Guest, Beth, a private woman, wife, and mother strives for perfection. After the
death of one son and the near death of another, she builds feelings of hurt and denial. She
denies her feelings and her family because it is her only way to cope with those feelings.
Beth strives for perfection. Her life is like a Barbie doll's life, everything on a
Barbie is perfect, from her looks to her personality. Barbie's clothing is what makes a
Barbie look pretty and fashionable. Beth wears clothing and jewelry to show she has style
which shows she is a pretty woman on the outside. "a sleeveless knit suit, the color of
straw, a V-neck bordered in orange, a thin gold chain around her neck. All elegance and
self-possession. So beautiful in every detail that men and women both look at her."
(Guest 25) Her Barbie doll looks make her appear irresistible, like one that would be
idolized by many people. Her need for control is evident because her appearance must be
faultless, her hair must be nicely done and she must look younger than she really is. Beth
takes good care of her skin, making sure that her face does not have any wrinkles. A well
kept clean face will keep a woman like Beth looking younger and a lot prettier. "Her face
is soft in the morning, flushed, slightly rounded, younger than her thirty-nine years. She
raises her hands to the back of her neck, pinning her hair into neat coils at the back of her
head." (Guest 6) Since her appearance is neat and clean, she expects her family to look
well dressed and well groomed. She wants people to think that her family is as perfect as
she is, and expects her husband to make sure her son projects the proper image she wants
everyone to see, reminding Cal, "will you talk to him this morning? About the clothes.
He&a...