The Sacred and Profane in American Beauty Essay

American Beauty, a film that was written by Allan Ball and directed by Sam Mendes in 1999 is a unique piece that demonstrates many sociological themes throughout the development of the plot. The characters strive to portray themselves as the All American Family. They live in a nice house, drive nice cars and seem perfectly normal to the general public, but the audience is allowed to view the deep set issues that plague the main characters; Lester Burnham (Kevin Spacey), Carolyn Burnham (Annette Bening), Jane Burnham (Thora Birch), and Jane's best friend Angela Hayes (Mena Suvari). As the plot develops there are many obvious parallels relating the lives of the characters to Merton's Strain

In the book Money and Class in America written by Lewis Lapham, the way Americans look at money is exposed. It compares other nations view on monetary value against that of the Americans. It is a fact that we place more value on money than anything else. This book illustrates the corruptness of the “American Dream” as it focuses money as the “currency of the soul” and through the dream, men remain free to rise or fall. Their life is the product of the effort and the decisions put forth by them.

In his article, Chidester discusses the intricacy of defining religion and the role it plays in American popular culture. He does this by showing us three theoretical models: the institution of baseball, the symbolism involved with Coca-Cola, and the ritual of the gift-giving Native American potlatch as suggested in the rock ‘n’ roll song “Louie, Louie. Throughout the article, Chidester explains ways in which each model might be seen as examples of religion and its common practices. By referring to “The Church of Baseball” he compares the dedication to baseball, its followers, and its traditions to the institution of church by their supporting customs, a sense of belonging, a time of ritual, and a sacred place. “The Fetish of Coca-Cola” suggests

Initially, Cullen’s aspect of the significance of religion when entering new environments in his interpretation of the American Dream exhibits irritation with this national outline of perfection. Settings such as New York, High School, and Hollywood symbolizes the swift-paced, energized atmosphere within America saturated with

What insights into the American Dream are offered through the novella Of Mice and Men and the film American Beauty? In your essay you must consider the influences of context and the importance of techniques in shaping meaning.

Through the comparative study of “Of Mice and Men” written by John Steinbeck in 1937 and “American Beauty” directed by Sam Mendes in 1999, it is apparent that the concept of the American Dream is timeless and enduring. Mendes and Steinbeck use language techniques such as dramatic foreshadowing and filmic techniques to define the American Dream’s spiritual and materialistic aspects. However, from the context of the Great Depression explored in “Of Mice and Men” to the economic boom of 1999 which provides the backdrop to “American Beauty”, society has greatly evolved. Hence, as the context changes, so does our understanding of the American Dream and its perceived values.

The saying ‘money can’t buy you happiness’ is very accurate. A key example of this can be seen in many studies done on people’s lives after they win the lottery. Approximately seventy percent of people who win end up unhappy, some even eventually commit suicide. Those with new found wealth often discover some people are only around for their money. According to studies, it’s common for the wealthy to feel that they are superior to people of a lower class, they can also feel a sense of entitlement. These traits can put a strain on their relationships with other people. In the pages that follow this paper will explain that possessing material items such as money, may bring temporary satisfaction, but cannot provide someone with true happiness.

Collateral beauty- a simple phrase that contains a plethora of complexity. After watching Allen Loeb’s film “Collateral Beauty” I was quickly reminded of a picture that I encountered several years ago at a memorial ceremony for the Holocaust. Both sources reveal how love, time, and death are all connected and reveal moments of beauty even in the most desperate situations. The director of the movie, David Frankel, uses frequent transitions between layers of reality that leave the audience confused about whether events are true or if they are simply figments of a disturbed mind. Similarly, the image’s audience is faced with two realities of the past and the present: Holocaust prisoners and present day Israeli soldiers. This confusion reflects

All through the considered silent period, Blacks in film were typically pigeonholed as toms or coons. Nonetheless, the savage still showed up, particularly in the uncommon, in movies of “all colored cast”. These movies were aimed at portraying women as lesser beings because they could be used as dancers or sex tools in the Antebellum South, or in present-day Harlem. Extensive consideration has been given to the commonness and diligence of generalizations of the blacks in America (Bates 661). Yet one of these recognized generalizations or stereotyping, the “abysmal mulatto,” has gotten quick consideration from researchers and social pundits of film and pop culture in the United States. The Birth of a Nation portrays a society that is truly bent in keeping up the rigid social limits, this exclusion is very tricky. It is true that most films during this period, tried to dissect the film’s political capacities and sociological effect as far as race, sex, and class is concerned.

In his book, “Money and Class in America,” Lewis Lapham states, “The ardor of the American faith in money easily surpasses the intensity achieved by other societies in other times and places.” This notion is the reoccurring theme in Lapham’s book. America is so taken with the idea that without money your achievements do not mean as much as they would if they came with a large sum of cash. We as a society value money over more important qualities such as knowledge or integrity.

This essay is for women who believe their thighs are too big, their breasts are too small, their hair is boring, their skin is flawed, their body is shaped funny, or their clothes are outdated. This month's column is for women who believe their life would improve if they could lose 15 pounds; if they could afford contact lenses, that new perfume or anti-cellulite concoction; if they got a nose job, a face lift, a tummy tuck, etc. This month's column is for women who feel shame or unhappiness when they ponder some part (or all) of their body. In other words, this month's column is for 99.9% of the women reading it!

American Beauty is a movie that sets in suburban America. The story is about Lester, whom is a middle-aged writer working in a magazine company. He was having a midlife crisis where he felt lonely and numbed by continuous unchanging routine of his everyday life. In the movie, his wife portrayed as a successful real estate agent, but she was also going through her own midlife crisis in both her career and personal life. Lester’s daughter, Jane Bumham had alienated her parents and was going through puberty. They have a new neighbor who is a U.S. Marine Corps Colonel Frank Fitts, and he has a son, Ricky Fitts, who is a drug dealer. Lester was going to get fired from his company that he had worked for fourteen

In Gary Shteyngart’s novel, Super Sad True Love Story, consumerism and the need to purchase shapes how the people of the fictional America live. Juliet Schor, author for the Boston Review, describes one way of spending in the real-world America as “competitive consumption”, meaning that American’s purchase items as a way of characterizing rank within the influence of a group they wish to be like. This in turn drives American’s compete toward a similar status of a specific group of people, also known as an “aspiration group”, which was once the individuals in your neighborhood, but has become the glamorous individuals observed in the omnipotent media. These aspiration groups consist of the affluent and beautiful, of which the American’s of the

There are many characters that exhibit existentialist behaviors in Mendes' American Beauty. Some characters that show these behaviors are Lester Burnham and Ricky Fitts. Lester Burnham becomes existentialist over the course of the movie. It begins with his unhappiness with his job, a position as an advertising executive. When he's told he'll be laid off, his journey on the path of existentialism begins. He begins pursuing experiences that will cause him happiness, rather than what society expects out of him. He begins to have inappropriate feelings for his daughter Jane's best friend, Angela. He also begins to work out so he can pursue a relationship with her. He continues to follow ventures that will bring him pleasure rather than completing societal expectations, such as spending money on vintage cars. This activity continues throughout the movie. When he finds out his wife is cheating on him, he only wishes for her happiness, rather than spite her. This wish for happiness in his family continues until he's shot in the head by his daughter's boyfriend's father and neighbor, Frank Fitts. His son, Ricky, has a transformation into an existentialist. This transformation can be seen as we learn more about his backstory. His father is a homophobic, gay, retired Marine colonel and his mother is a terrified victim of abuse. Ricky's father sent him to a military school and a psychiatric hospital prior to the events of this movie. It's easy to see why Ricky Fitts would be an existentialist—his father is a cruel man, his mother is little more than a shell of herself, and he's considered an outsider by his peers. The way he can experience happiness in life is through recording videos, as seen in the dancing bag scene of the movie. Ricky's interpretation of the dancing bag, his dangerous profession as a marijuana dealer, and his impulsiveness also point towards his existentialism. By the end of the movie, Ricky is disowned and kicked out by his father, who believes Ricky is a gay prostitute rather than a straight drug dealer.

images as constructions that we created around ourselves as a means of hiding our true selves. Mendes is able to implicate us in the construction and make us active viewers by exploiting our voyeuristic nature. In American Beauty Mendes uses the voyeuristic tendencies of the spectator to acknowledge the permeating constructed images. Mendes, through the use of narration, the mise en scene and cinematic techniques implicates the spectator in to using their voyeuristic tendencies to deconstruct