Foreshadowing is a literary device that is used several times in the novel Ordinary People. An example of foreshadowing is when Conrad blurts out his feelings with his mother, Beth , when she gets angry. against him for not telling her he quit the swim team. Conrad, who struggles with depression, previously kept all his feelings bottled up inside him. He then unleashes all of his anger on Beth, which essentially ruins their relationship for the rest of the novel. This massive outburst Conrad has with Beth foreshadows another instance in which Conrad completely lets his feelings slip. Later in the novel, Conrad overhears one of his so-called friends, Stillman, talking insensitively about his deceased brother at a swimming competition. After the meeting is over, Stillman makes some more nasty comments to Conrad. Conrad then completely loses it and punches him. They fight and both end up bloody. Conrad blurting out his feelings with his mother most certainly foreshadowed that he would do it again later in the book with Stillman. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay. Another example of foreshadowing is when Karen and Conrad spend time together after they are released from the hospital. When Karen claims to be late and has to leave, Conrad is hurt by this and asks Karen to come out soon. Karen responds, “Of course. Call me, I'd like to see you. But not very soon. We should both be careful who we see. It’s not good for any of us to go down…. It's contagious, you know that. When Karen calls depression contagious and flat-out says she doesn't want to see Conrad anytime soon, it shows that she hasn't completely resolved her mental state yet. This foreshadows that she will commit suicide at the end of the book. Throughout the novel Ordinary People, several examples demonstrate how Conrad heals and grows into his new identity. An example of this is when he quits the swim team. After talking to Dr. Berger about the bad timing and how he hates Coach Salan, Dr. Berger encourages him to quit. However, Conrad fears it will make him look bad after he left last year. Eventually, he realizes that the swim team really isn't right for him anymore and tells Salan he's quitting. Salan is of course angry, but Conrad was able to stand up for himself and make an important decision in the right direction, which is a major improvement. A second example that shows how Conrad is evolving into his new identity is when he makes a list of new goals. His list reads: "1. Finals, 2. Exercise, 3. Friends, 4. Work, 5. Guitar, 6. Books and 7. Girls." When Conrad sets goals, he creates guiding goals. At the beginning of the novel, Conrad felt like he didn't really have an identity. He felt useless, hopeless and had no reason to get up in the morning. These new goals have immense value and create a new identity for it. This is a big step towards overcoming depression. Beth left Calvin and Conrad because her relationship with them reached a breaking point. Beth hadn't gotten along with Conrad for several months. She was unable to forgive him for his suicide attempt and denied the fact that he suffered from depression. She also became extremely angry with Calvin when he told some of their friends that Conrad had seen a psychiatrist. She couldn't understand that Conrad couldn't be perfect like his older brother Jordan was. After Conrad didn't tell Beth he left..