Ordinary People

Guest utilizes the motif of music to draw parallels in Conrad’s character arc. At the beginning of the novel, Conrad is most looking forward to returning to choir, which “is the one time of day when he lets down his guard; there is peace in the strict concentration that Faughnan demands of all of them, in the sweet dissonance of voices in chorus” (20). Conrad channels his perfectionism into his music following Faughnan’s example, a perfectionist in his own right. This directly reflects Conrad’s goals at the beginning of the novel: to regain control and order and return to presenting the image of the perfect son.

As the novel progresses, Conrad’s love of music becomes less about perfection and more about sharing his love of music with others. When he begins to date Jeanine, he spends more time at their house with her family. Her little brother is just learning how to play guitar, and after he shows him the chords he’s learned, he gives Conrad the guitar to play. Conrad “entertains him with a Simon and Garfunkel tune he still remembers, then some James Taylor, John Denver, a little Eric Clapton, for good measure” (199). Though he is still performing, there is a different motive behind it.