Ordinary People - Avoiding Problems Is Not A Way Of Handling Them I disagree with the statement “Avoiding problems is a way of handling them”. My position is clearly supported in the novel Ordinary People, by Judith Guest. Main characters in the novel, Conrad Jarret, his mother Beth, and his father Calvin portray indifferences throughout the book. Conrad is a troubled teen that can’t let go of his Brother’s (Buck) death. Buck died in a sailing accident with Conrad and Conrad still thinks that it was his own fault for Buck’s death. Before the novel begins, Conrad attempts to take his life b