Alienation is not an instantaneous event, but a gradual process. This process is prevalent in various literary works, including Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, Sophocles' "Oedipus Rex," and Judith Guest's Ordinary People. There are five stages of alienation: initial alienation, initiation, journey, suffering, and reconciliation. Although alienation fully occurs in this way, the extent to which each of the characters experiences the process is distinct. For example, Ordinary People's Conrad Jarrett experiences the cycle of alienation in its entirety, while Oedipus in "Oedipus Rex" lacks the essential element of returning to harmony. Despite the underlying sense of alienation that each of the characters may feel, they all take certain steps to attempt to cope and come to terms with their seemingly perpetual detachment. In Ordinary People, Conrad Jarret's alienation is exacerbated by the loss of his brother, which is obvious. in his failed suicide attempt. This deep feeling related to Conrad's alienation is continually seen as a recurring theme throughout the novel and provides a structure for fully understanding the extent of Conrad's isolation. The book begins a month after Conrad's release from the hospital, which introduces the reader to his already damaged and fragile state. Essentially, the failed suicide attempt can directly translate into a feeling of not belonging. Beginning his path to recovery, he meets Dr. Berger, a psychiatrist. Conrad is reluctant to begin these appointments and tells Berger directly that he does not have a high opinion of psychiatry. However, he eventually examines himself and tells Berger that he needs to take more control. Continuing in this introductory segment, Conrad reveals...... middle of paper ......s not only because of his physical deformities, but because of his lack of relationship with any human being, due to his artificial birth. . Throughout the story, the monster is continually confronted with experiences with humans that highlight his differences, which therefore isolate him. To cope, he demands to be given a partner of his own kind, which speaks to his authentic and persistent desire to belong. He goes to great lengths to say that if we gave him a partner, he would run away to the Amazon forever. It is evident that the monster is in dire need of physical connection, as he struggles with the personal extent of the alienation process. Of the three characters, the creature faces perhaps the greatest alienation and deepest suffering. In fact, the first feeling he feels when he is born is isolation. Victor Frankenstein, his creator and “father,”